"I'm very happy, last week we brought beavers to France and that was my 1000th beaver I had exported either myself or through the organisation. And that was not just to bring back the beaver, but also to bring back the benefits of the beaver."

One man is responsible more than any other for bringing beavers back to Europe; German ecologist, Gerhard Schwab.

There were probably two to three million beavers across Eurasia, reduced to maybe a thousand in 1900. Gerhard persuaded one state after the next in Germany to do reintroductions and physically led the process. He brought beavers back from the tiny refuges where a handful had survived in Poland, Belarus and the marshes of Germany and France. He mixed them up to create genetic strength and reintroduced them in one place after the next right across Europe.

Ben Goldsmith is a British financier and rewilding enthusiast. Join him as he speaks to people from all over the world who champion nature and are helping to restore habitats and wildlife to some of the most nature depleted parts of our planet.

This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.

Text Rewilding the World here. Let us know what you think of the podcast and if there are any rewilding projects you would love Ben to feature in future episodes.

The Conservation Collective support locally-led environmental Foundations around the world. Together we'll protect and restore the wild places we know and love.