The space would be a large area of a nature reserve with fences around it to ensure the animals cannot roam around the floodplain – essentially a “halfway house”.
She added: “Ultimately, we would hope to see wild elk roaming throughout the floodplains of Britain, starting with the Trent and Idle. But that’s some way off.”
Ms Bradley is also part of a project that saw beavers return to the county in 2021 for the first time in at least 400 years.
Like elk, beavers are herbivores and have brought “great benefit” to the local environment, according to the conservation expert.
“We’ve already seen from our enclosed beavers, that the increase in species richness that they create in the habitats where they are, is just phenomenal,” she said.
The next steps toward introducing elk include considering any identified risks, engaging with the public and landowners, and ensuring there is a suitable enclosure.
“Like all these things, it’s down to funding,” Ms Bradley said.
“The technical elements won’t be the hold-up, it’ll be the funding available for those logistics.”