The European elk could return to British landscapes for the first time in three millennia. Driven by the organization Rewilding Britain, the plan is part of a series of ecological restoration projects that seek to restore key species to their ancient habitats.
With funding of up to £15,000 per proposal, the fund supports initiatives that promote the recovery of degraded ecosystems. Among them, a project in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire stands out, which considers the coexistence of elk and beavers as regenerative agents of wetlands and forests.
Reintroducing the elk to these places allows controlling shrub growth, dispersing seeds, and restoring water bodies, essential functions in a context of climate crisis and biodiversity loss. Their ecological impact has been proven in Nordic countries, where they actively contribute to environmental health.
The UK seeks to reintroduce elk in its wetlands. Photo: Wikipedia.
Balanced ecosystems, not silence
The elk, with its ability to naturally modify the landscape, acts as an ecological engineer. By feeding on dense vegetation, it creates spaces for other species and improves forest diversity. It also maintains wetland balance by consuming invasive aquatic plants.
Together with the beaver, which has already been reintroduced in the UK, these large mammals form an effective duo to recover degraded spaces, favor water infiltration, and reduce the risk of floods. They are silent yet powerful allies of environmental resilience.
Hunting and cruelty: the elk’s past that should not return
The local extinction of the elk in the UK was caused by a combination of excessive hunting and habitat loss due to agricultural expansion. Human pressure drastically reduced its territory until it completely disappeared from the British map.
Hunting not only eliminated a species functional to the ecosystem, but also left behind a trail of cruelty and imbalance. Animals were pursued for their size and meat, without considering their ecological value. Nowadays, its reintroduction seeks to reverse that historical damage and change the way wildlife is perceived and treated.
The European elk returns to the wetlands of the UK. Photo: Chronicles of Fauna.
Rewilding with a vision for the future
The elk’s return is part of a larger movement towards the restoration of natural landscapes. Similar projects in the UK include the reintroduction of bison, the recovery of seagrass, and the regeneration of rainforests in Scotland.
All share a common goal: restore lost ecological functions, generate climate benefits, and rebuild the relationship between humans and nature. Because restoring balance is not a nostalgia for the past, but a necessity of the present.
