Beavers to the Rescue: Wildlife Trust Seeks Funds to Revive Rare Bog

In 2025, the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust (SWT) is working to restore Craddocks Moss, a 47-acre peat site near Newcastle-under-Lyme that dates back to the last ice age. However, the trust now needs an additional £25,000 in public donations to realize its plan to bring in beavers to help revive this internationally important bog.

Craddocks Moss has lost many of its rare plants in recent years due to installed drainage and the planting of conifers. SWT has been working since 2021 to restore the site, but they now need the help of "master munchers" - beavers. According to Jeff Sim, the head of nature reserves, the beavers can naturally rewet the peat and restore the habitat by eating brambles and small trees that are taking over the moss.

The trust has already raised £150,000 towards the project, but the additional £25,000 is needed to fence the entire site, monitor the beavers' activity, prepare the ground, and install paths and a viewing platform for public use. If the funds are raised by Christmas, a pair of beavers will be released at Craddocks Moss next May.

Preserving this historic lowland bog is crucial, as many similar sites have been destroyed over the centuries, primarily due to drainage. Restoring Craddocks Moss will not only bring back the lost plants and species, but it will also help prevent the release of carbon into the atmosphere from the degraded peatland.