After successfully reintroducing beavers back into the wild in England, a new rewilding project is looking to bring European elk back to the UK. The elk previously went extinct in the UK 3,000 years ago.

Rewilding Britain is awarding grants through its Rewilding Innovation Fund for a joint project by the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trusts in order to return European elk — as well as bison and beaver — to the wild in England. As part of the fund, multiple projects will receive up to 15,000 pounds ($19,918) to put toward rewilding initiatives.

“Keystone species like elk, bison and beaver play a vital role in bringing nature back to life. They help repair ecosystems and shape wild places in ways that benefit wildlife, people and the climate,” Rebecca Wrigley, chief executive of Rewilding Britain, said in a statement. “Successfully reintroducing missing species like these is absolutely crucial.”

As Derbyshire Wildlife Trust reported, the European elk (Alces alces), forages in wooded areas and grazes in wetlands, both actions that can help regenerate ecosystems. These animals consume leaves and twigs of trees and shrubs, which can help spread seeds, and they also eat submerged vegetation in wetlands.

While both elk and beavers are native to the UK, hunting and habitat loss caused both to go extinct. Beavers disappeared from the wilderness in the UK around 400 years ago, and elk went extinct in the UK 3,000 years ago.

While ongoing projects have helped return beavers to wetland habitats in the UK, there are no wetlands that are home to both beavers and elk. Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trusts are optimistic that their proposed project to release elk into existing beaver enclosures will help successfully restore these animals back into the wild.

“This project could demonstrate how this crucial ecosystem engineer can thrive in floodplain landscapes, shaping diverse habitats that benefit communities and support biodiversity recovery,” said Rachel Bennett, deputy director of Wilder Landscapes and Derbyshire Wildlife Trust. “It may also serve as a catalyst for engaging people in the long-term benefits of returning elk to the wild.”

Read the full article about reintroducing elk to the U.K. by Paige Bennett at EcoWatch.