Hot on the heels of the announcement about the planned White Stork reintroduction in Dagenham comes news of another proposed reintroduction plan.
From Rewilding UK website
Britain was once home to the Dalmatian pelican, one of the planet’s biggest and heaviest flying birds. According to fossil records, they were very common in Somerset, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Gloucestershire and Yorkshire. From fossil finds we know they were still flying in Somerset during Roman times.
This native species was gradually driven to extinction in Britain due to a combination of wetland drainage (undertaken by our ancestors to create new farmland) and human disturbance. Hunting is also known to have taken place and likely to have contributed to their decline.
Today in Britain the Dalmatian pelican is a rare visitor from southeastern Europe. The remaining global population of the Dalmatian pelican consists of around 20,000 individuals globally, with about half this population existing in Europe.
Can we have them in Britain?
Yes, Dalmatian pelicans can return to Britain. Their reintroduction will require large-scale wetland rewilding and increased public awareness. Successful rewilding efforts have reversed pelican population declines in Europe – such as in the Danube Delta and Greece. We can learn from those projects to help these iconic birds return to our skies.
With their nearest breeding sites some 2000 km away (in Europe), Dalmatian pelicans are unlikely to return on their own. Through the Rewilding Innovation Fund, we’re supporting the Pelicans to Norfolk project, which is collaborating with a Dutch reintroduction project to understand how we might establish a breeding colony in England. The Somerset Levels may also be suitable for a future reintroduction.
To further support their reintroduction, we need to restore our freshwater habitats, reduce human disturbance in those areas and increase public support for their return.
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Fantastic news! What’s good for the pelicans will be good for all wildlife 🙂