White storks and beavers to make historic return to East London, thanks to Mayor’s funding

 

• New investment from Sadiq will see beavers return to Barking and the first white storks breeding colony in London for 600 years
• Mayor’s Green Roots Fund has awarded £3.48 million to support 26 environmental projects, 11 of which will support waterways.

• Fund will invest more than £12m over three years to help nature thrive across London’s communities.

 

A breeding colony of white storks will be re-introduced to London for the first time in 600 years, as part of a £3.48million from the Mayor’s new Green Roots Fund to help make neighbourhoods across the capital greener, healthier and more climate resilient.

Driven to extinction in Britain in the 1400s, a breeding colony of white storks will soon be established in London. [1] Now, with a £500,000 investment from the Mayor’s Green Roots Fund, Barking & Dagenham Council and the London Wildlife Trust plan to return them through an inclusive species recovery project in the heart of the borough. Eastbrookend Country Park in Dagenham will be only the second publicly accessible white stork reintroduction project in the country and the first ever in London.  These majestic birds play a key role in wetland ecosystems, and the project builds on the recent restoration and maintenance of wet meadows and pastures in the area, supported by the Mayor, to ensure they can flourish.

The ambitious scheme will also introduce beavers to Eastbrookend Country Park. Until recently, beavers had not been seen in London for 400 years but were successfully returned to West London in 2023, through the support of Sadiq’s Rewild London Fund. [2] Beavers are vital to helping other species to thrive, as they build dams, dig canals and create dead wood, creating and maintaining a habitat for other life to flourish such water voles, dragonflies, amphibians, birds, reptiles and fish.

Sadiq launched the Green Roots Fund in June during London Climate Action Week to deliver on a manifesto pledge to support the creation and improvement of London’s green and blue spaces, such as parks, community gardens, wetlands and rivers. [3]

The Fund will invest more than £12m over three years and deliver projects that will restore habitats for nature to thrive. Following applications from projects in every London borough, a total of £3,485,081 will be invested in 26 projects in this first round of funding.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Access to nature is an issue of social justice and it can’t just be those who live in the countryside who get to share their home with our amazing wild creatures. Everyone deserves to enjoy nature, no matter where they live. We are proud to be supporting some fantastic projects through my Green Roots Fund, including the historic reintroduction of white storks and beavers to East London.

“This is only the beginning of the change we will see. I will invest more than £12m over the next three years to support projects helping to transform our neighbourhoods and enhance London’s green and blue spaces, as we continue to build a greener and fairer London for everyone.”

Key projects to receive investment also include:

• The creation of therapeutic green space at a secure mental health unit in Newham will see two courtyards built, providing access to those who are unable to access nature in typical ways.
• Increasing and managing access to a much-loved and precious bluebell wood in Merton,  enabling the locally rare English bluebells to recover their former glory and the wet woodland habitat to improve its health and resilience.
• A Dads and Kids Growing Club in Lambeth at Jessop Primary School will teach new skills to create, build and sustain a positive natural environment capable of providing food.​
• Sustainable rainwater management at two housing estates in Lambeth will see rainwater run-off diverted from the roofs of housing blocks, using water butts and rain gardens, to green the estate.
• Training National Park City rangers across Islington, Westminster, Hounslow and Barking and Dagenham will help support their communities in neighbourhood-scale nature recovery.

More than £2 million of the new investment will support 11 waterways projects as part of Sadiq’s work to reverse years of damage and deliver vital new funding to the capital’s rivers. [4]

Waterways projects to benefit include the restoration of 3.4km of Salmons Brook through Enfield Chase, transforming farmland into a thriving river landscape and alleviating flooding downstream in Edmonton – as well as the delivery of a 40km accessible trail along the Crane Valley. 

The second round of the Green Roots Fund is now open for applications, with a deadline of Thursday 22 January 2026. The timing of this round will enable planning and delivery of tree planting in winter 2026-27, so project applications which include this are encouraged. 

Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy, Mete Coban said: “I am proud to support these projects which will reconnect Londoners to their local spaces and bring nature back into the city. We see parts of London where people do not have access to good quality green and blue spaces and the Green Roots Fund is working to change that, helping to transform our neighbourhoods – making nature accessible for everyone.”

Councillor Dominic Twomey, Leader of Barking and Dagenham Council, said: “Barking and Dagenham will be only the second official location for a white stork reintroduction scheme in the country and the first ever in London. After more than six centuries, this project brings an iconic species back to our landscapes.

“This initiative is a joint effort with our strategic partner, the London Wildlife Trust, and builds on the success of the first reintroduction project in Sussex, where wild breeding began in 2020. Together, we are improving local habitats, boosting biodiversity, and promoting environmental education with Eastbrookend Country Park becoming a flagship learning destination for schools and families from across the borough and beyond.”

Sam Davenport, Director of Nature Recovery at London Wildlife Trust said: “Reintroducing iconic flagship species like white storks and beavers helps us all to imagine an ambitious future for nature recovery in the capital. It will inspire communities to connect with nature and landowners to create more wetland habitats - in turn benefiting other species. In this way, the reintroduction of white storks and beavers becomes a catalyst for wider ecological restoration, helping to build a greener, more resilient London for generations to come.”

Andrew Casey, Therapeutic Gardener at ELFT Charity’s Green Therapy Space project, said: “Receiving funding from the Mayor of London's Green Roots Fund means we can convert under-used space on our hospital site into two healing therapeutic courtyards. 

“Our specialist clinical teams will gain a dedicated, nature-rich outdoor setting to deliver high-quality, holistic care to patients with complex mental health needs. Research shows that having access to green space can significantly improve recovery.” 

Eve Risbridger, Director at Crane Valley CIC, said: “The Crane Valley Trail will be a long-distance riverside path running through five West London boroughs from Headstone Manor in Harrow to Isleworth, where the River Crane joins the Thames.  

“The Mayor’s funding will help make this path accessible to all: walkers, cyclists, wheelchair and buggy users alike.  

“For the first time Londoners will have easy access to a 40km linear network of riverside open spaces with an area greater than five times the size of Hyde Park.   

“The grant of £433k will largely fund removal of barriers, and the installation of way-marking and interpretation, along with on-line links to encourage the 650,000 local residents and visitors to enjoy the river and the wildlife it supports.”  

Kenneth Baffoe, Jessop Primary School Head Teacher and Scott Leonard, Founder of Dads Kids Club, said: “Jessop Dads Kids Club is enormously excited and proud to receive Green Roots funding.  

“Dads Kids Club was launched at Jessop Primary School, where we are taking a unique approach to addressing our nature-poor environment in a socially deprived part of the city.  

“We thank the Mayor of London for giving the Dads Kids Club the opportunity to realise our dream project of making our children's school more climate resilient, while dads and kids learn skills together and we build our community.”