Reintroducing white storks to East London

This initiative sits at the heart of the London Wildlife Trust’s strategy to create a wilder London by recovering nature, reconnecting ecological networks, and bringing people closer to nature in the city. Species reintroduction (i.e. the return of species lost from their natural range where natural recolonisation is unlikely without intervention) can be an important tool for nature recovery. It can help restore lost ecological processes, increase habitat complexity, and act as a catalyst for wider action for nature. Reintroductions also inspire people to experience and connect with nature and offer new ways for communities to do so, which brings well-documented wellbeing benefits. 

The Rewilding East London project has the potential to generate far-reaching and significant public support and action for nature. It is a compelling story of hope, demonstrating what is possible when nature recovery is embedded into urban landscapes. It shows how cities like London can support the return of wildlife and help build a thriving, nature-rich future.

White storks are large, migratory wetland birds that favour open landscapes such as floodplains, wet grasslands, and agricultural fields, where they feed opportunistically on a wide range of prey including insects, amphibians, small mammals, and invertebrates.  

They also have a uniquely strong connection with people. White storks can live for 30–40 years and typically return to the same nest year after year, meaning communities can come to recognise and follow “their” own local birds over time, building a lasting emotional connection with nature. Storks, in turn, often choose to nest close to people, on buildings or other visible structures which brings wildlife right to people’s doorsteps and helps foster a deeper sense of appreciation and care. 

White storks were once a familiar part of Britain’s natural heritage, as the place for the town of Storrington - in old Saxon the village of the storks – still demonstrates. Although they vanished as a breeding bird many centuries ago in result of habitat loss and persecution. Archaeological records indicate their presence in Britain dating back to the Pleistocene epoch of 360,000 to 130,000 Years Ago. In medieval times immature storks were either caught in Britain or imported from aboard by London poulterers who sold them for process ranging between 24 and 48 old pence. Vagrant individuals that travelled to Britain thereafter remained rare as they were generally shot for human consumption, museums or other taxidermists collections. Human pressures rather than ecological limitations are likely to blame for the absence of breeding white storks in Britain.

This project goes beyond the return of an iconic, charismatic species. White storks are often described as an ‘umbrella’ or ‘totemic’ species. The support by people of the wetland habitats they require in turn provides space for a wide variety of other wildlife, including birds, mammals, insects amphibians and plants. Through engagement with local communities, partners, and landowners, the restoration of white storks can act as a catalyst for vital wetland habitat restoration.  

As highly visible, popular and culturally resonant birds, white storks hold a unique place in European culture and storytelling, from Aesop’s fables to befriending Dumbo. The enduring myth of how storks deliver babies has in part linked them in our conscience throughout their world range as symbols of renewal, hope, and good fortune.  

Across Europe, white storks coexist successfully with people in both rural and urban environments. Any issues arising from their nest locations can be readily remedied. They are not a species of wilderness and breeding colonies exist in the centres of cities such as Strasbourg and Amsterdam.  The European Stork Villages network hosts breeding populations in more rural settings from sites near Istanbul in Turkey to Knepp castle in Sussex where recent reintroduction efforts now demonstrated that white storks can once again breed and migrate successfully from the UK. As this population expands, sightings over London are expected to increase, with birds exploring and establishing themselves across the wider South East.

The development of this project is grounded in both ecological evidence and strong local partnerships. 

A feasibility study undertaken by species reintroduction specialists at the Derek Gow Consultancy assessed habitat suitability across East London and Essex, including the 500-acre Dagenham Green Belt Corridor. The study also considered the wider landscape within a 40 km radius of Eastbrookend Country Park. This included analysis of landscape connectivity, habitat assessment and the foraging range required to support a breeding population. This work concluded that the landscape across the Dagenham Corridor supports a rich mosaic of habitats, including wetlands, open water, and acid grassland, which sustain diverse bird, insect, and invertebrate communities. Recent habitat improvements, particularly floodplain reconnection along the River Rom, have significantly enhanced ecological capacity, creating conditions suitable for species such as white storks.  

The project has also benefited from long-standing collaboration with the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, particularly through joint management at The Chase Local Nature Reserve. The rationale behind the scheme supports not just species recovery but aligns with the Council’s strategic ambitions to conserve and enhance biodiversity and to promote wider landscape connectivity where disproportionate low levels of public access to greenspace and nature affect local communities. This project will develop an extensive outreach programme, connecting communities with these iconic species and offering residents opportunities to directly support their re-establishment. In addition, the site has established ecological monitoring records that underpin habitat management plans, and an on-site education centre that supports learning, engagement, and community involvement. 

Together, these elements make Eastbrookend a showcase for what nature recovery and species reintroduction can achieve in an urban environment.

The reintroduction programme at Eastbrookend Country Park will follow a carefully phased, evidence-led approach designed to establish a healthy, self-sustaining breeding population over time. Feasibility work undertaken by the Derek Gow Consultancy detailed husbandry requirements, enclosure specifications, and rearing and release methodologies to inform detailed project development. An important aspect of the feasibility assessment was drawing on lessons learned from other successful white stork breeding and release programmes, including those at Knepp Castle Estate and Wadhurst in Sussex, as well as established initiatives in Sweden and the Alsace, amongst others. Efforts to restore the white stork as a breeding species in Britain have been based on several key considerations:  

(a.) the species exhibits strong natal philopatry, with individuals tending to return to their birthplace to build or restore their large nests each year;  

(b.) adult birds must establish a reliable and productive foraging range to successfully raise their chicks to fledging weight within an approximately six-month period; and  

(c.) as a result, the wild or migrant individuals passing over Britain each year are highly unlikely to re-establish a self-sustaining wild population in the foreseeable future.  

White stork reintroduction efforts across Europe, including observations from Knepp’s White Stork project, show that populations can be successfully established through captive breeding and release programs, or by translocating wild birds that are temporarily held in large, predator-proof enclosures with wing clipping. Once released, the storks can fly, forage, and survive independently without further enclosure. However, because white storks typically return to breed where they were raised, establishing a self-sustaining, site-faithful colony requires maintaining an aviary for parent birds so that chicks imprint on the release site and return there to nest in future years. 

Drawing on the proven success of the White Stork Project in Sussex and similar initiatives across Europe, the programme will adopt the following principles for the project:  

• Establish a founder population through the transfer of around six pairs of health-screened, captive-bred juvenile and adult storks reared at Upcott Grange in Devon (Derek Gow Consultancy) to a large, purpose-built, predator-proof aviary at Eastbrookend Country Park in autumn 2026;
• Support the development of a non-migratory breeding population by retaining these birds as free-flying individuals within the aviary until they reach three years of age. Once the population has consolidated and sufficient numbers of birds are breeding freely in the surrounding area, the aviary roof net will be rolled back to allow the remaining adult breeding birds to fly free;
• Reinforce the population through annual releases of additional health-checked, captive-bred juveniles or adults as required;
• Support early survival through supplementary feeding, alongside best-practice monitoring techniques including GPS tagging and identifiable colour ringing, in line with methods used by the White Stork Project in Sussex;
• Monitor how the developing colony attracts and integrates wild or migratory (“vagrant”) individuals;
• Encourage nesting behaviour in the wider landscape through the construction of nesting platforms in suitable locations;
• Undertake ongoing monitoring of behaviour, habitat use, breeding, and dispersal, led by project staff and volunteers, with guidance, support and training from the expert team at Derek Gow Consultancy;
• Engage and liaise with landowners, businesses, and birdwatchers in the surrounding area to raise awareness of the project and the presence of prospecting storks;
• Explore opportunities to collaborate with academic institutions for research and monitoring
• Work with partners to investigate the potential for additional release sites in the surrounding landscape to further support population growth;
• Maintain a flexible and adaptive approach, aligned with emerging best practice and informed by ongoing review of evidence from this and other reintroduction initiatives.
• Share learning with the London White Stork Forum as the project progresses.