In a licensed trial, a pair of beavers have been installed on the Knepp Wildland project in Sussex, where within a matter of months they have already transformed what was once a small stream into a bustling wetland thronging with life.

During the month of July, the U.K. hit many alarming climate records.

With temperatures exceeding 40°C for the first time ever, large parts of southern U.K. have also been experiencing a chronic lack of rain leading to one of the worst droughts in over 100 years.

The concerns of rivers and reservoirs running dry has led to some counties in the England, such Kent and Sussex, to introduce water restrictions, including bans on hose pipes, washing cars and filling paddling pools.

But as the grass turns brown, trees start dropping their leaves, and rivers and lakes dry up, in a quiet corner of Sussex there is an exception.

In February this year, a pair of Eurasian beavers were introduced to the Knepp Wildland, a pioneering rewilding project on former farmland in West Sussex. It is the site of the first major lowland rewilding project in England, when some 20 years ago the decision was made to take the hands off the wheel and let nature take the driving seat.

The beavers are currently confined to a two-hectare enclosure as it illegal to release the animals into the wild in England. But while the fence may stop the charismatic rodents from straying, it doesn't prevent their benefits from literally spilling out into the surrounding landscape.