A family of beavers is set to be released in the Forder Valley as part of an exciting new nature scheme.
The Green Minds project seeks to re-wild urban parks, gardens and verges, introduce a new system of working with partners and crucially, encourage more people from all walks to life, to enjoy the health benefits that our green spaces provide.
It is funded thanks to €4million grant from the European Regional Development Fund under their Urban Innovation Actions Programme and includes the University of Plymouth, Real Ideas Organisation, Plymouth College of Art, Devon Wildlife Trust, The Data Place and the National Trust as partners.
The beavers, who are coming from Scotland, will be introduced to a specially-built re-wilding enclosure near Poole Farm with their activity monitored to access how their behaviour and actions reduce flooding and habitats for wildlife further downstream.
It is the first urban release of beavers in the UK.
Although clearly the headline event, the beavers are just a small part of the overall project as Councillor Sue Dann, Cabinet member for Street Scene and the Environment, explains.
"Our climate is changing and so must we," said Councillor Dann. "Through Green Minds, we want to find new ways of working with resident and partners which both compliment and embrace our natural environment.
"Introducing beavers is just a small part of that and we've got several other projects coming up in the next few years that make nature matter to the residents of Plymouth.
"If we can look after our people, their mental and physical health, they can help look after our place, our parks and our seas which brings us all together so that we can look after the planet.”