Beavers transform Dorset woodland into thriving wetland

Two beavers have been hard at work, building a 35 metre dam and completely changing their woodland home into a thriving wetland.

The beavers are one of two pairs the National Trust released into Little Sea lake in Studland, Dorset, in March 2025, after they got a special licence to put them there.

Their activities have helped create a pond and allowed more sunlight to reach the forest, encouraging more birds, insects and bats to make it their home.

Gen Crisford, who works for the National Trust said: "The effect on the ecosystem in a relatively short time is astonishing.

"From dense tangled woodland, the beavers have created a light and airy wetland teeming with life above and below the water."

The dam has slowed down the flow of a small stream, creating a deep pond full of wildlife.

And their taste for felling trees with their massive teeth is allowing light to flood in to the forest, creating an ideal habitat for plants, insects, amphibians, birds and bats.

Trail cameras have already picked up an otter fishing in the pond, as well as a barn owl hunting there.

They also captured footage of the beavers mating, which means that there could be baby beavers, called kits, this summer.

The beavers joined another pair on the lake. Nobody knows how they got there, but they seem to have arrived before the Government licence was granted.

That pair have successfully raised three kits and constructed two large homes called lodges, one each side of the lake.

Beavers are seen as a "keystone species" by many conservationists.

This term describes any living thing which is essential to keeping the world around them working and thriving as it should.

The Wildlife Trusts says scientific studies show beavers play a vital role in their natural environment by managing rivers and wetlands, by cutting parts off trees and building dams.

The dams help store water during both floods and droughts and they trap silt, which improves water quality downstream too.

Another wild beaver release is planned on the Purbeck Heaths National Nature Reserve in Dorset this autumn.