Beavers and Botany: Exploring Ecological Change at Spains Hall Estate

In 2019, Spains Hall Estate introduced a pair of beavers as part of an ambitious nature recovery and natural flood management program. Since then, their family has grown, and together they have dramatically transformed the landscape.

Learn more about the project here.

Each summer since the beavers’ introduction, we’ve conducted an extensive botanical survey of the site. Now, we’re seeking understand how the introduction of beavers influenced the botany of the area and how effective our survey techniques have been. Some of the things we are interested to investigate are:

1. Which plant communities have declined, and which have flourished?
2. How have Ellenberg indicator values changed across the site, and do these changes align with water level measurements?
3. Are the survey design, sample patterns, and number of points statistically robust?
4. How accurate is GPS for identifying sample points?
5. How effective is photogrammetry in analyzing canopy and ground cover?

You are also invited to join us to assist with the next botanical survey, scheduled for 19–22 June 2025. This is a opportunity to gain hands-on experience of how the data was gathered. It will be in midsummer, the days are long, and the Essex countryside will be at its most beautiful.

We’d love to hear from you!