Mark Elliott
Restoration ecologist
Mark’s love of wildlife began in childhood here in Sussex – initially through a fascination with amphibians. He started his career in the 1990s as a wetland ecologist for the Environment Agency (and NRA) covering the rivers of Sussex. He was the Senior Natural Resources Officer for West Sussex County Council before moving to Devon in 2010 where he began working for the Devon Wildlife Trust (DWT).
His early role with DWT included establishing a beaver enclosure, and it was here that his interest and enthusiasm for beavers began in earnest. This meant he was well placed to manage the River Otter Beaver Trial which ran from 2015 to 2020. – England’s first licenced wild-release of beavers. Following the success of this trial, the government announced that beavers would be recognised as a native resident species once again, after an absence of 400 years.
It’s brilliant to be back at Knepp, having done some of the early amphibian surveys here in 1999 before the rewilding project got underway. Over the coming years there will be a great opportunity to help restore beavers to the rivers of Sussex, and hopefully the work we do here at Knepp will be the perfect launching pad for that.
