In a major boost for conservation, the government has set out a new approach that will allow beavers to live wild in England’s landscapes centuries after they became extinct in the UK.
Natural England will grant licences to release beavers within the year, with wild releases expected as early as autumn 2025.
It is expected that the first release of wild beavers will happen at Purbeck Heaths National Nature Reserve in Dorset with a licence issued to the National Trust.
The decision has come after decades of campaigning by wildlife and conservation groups, who say it will pave the way for this native species to roam wild in British rivers and lakes once more.
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Known as a keystone species because the habitats they create benefit many other species, beavers were once abundant in England but became extinct in the 16th century due to overhunting.
Over the past 20 years, they have been returning to English waterways through a system of releases into enclosures, and a limited trial of wild releases in Devon. There are now estimated to be 500 beavers living in the wild.
Long-term management plan
In a new policy statement, ministers have set out the detail of the new licence system, support for landowners and farmers, and a commitment to produce a plan in consultation with these groups for the long-term management of beavers in England.
They say the return of beavers will be carefully managed to avoid impacts on farming, food production and infrastructure.
New wild release projects will need to have a project plan in place covering a 10-year period to support the introduction of beavers into a landscape before Natural England would consider granting a licence.
Tony Juniper, Chair of Natural England, said: “Beavers have been missing from our landscapes for about four hundred years and this careful approach for their planned return is a significant landmark for Nature recovery in England.
"Beavers are environmental engineers. The dams, ponds and canals they build not only create amazingly rich habitats for many other species, but can also help reduce flood risk, purify water and catch carbon.
"Under licence from Natural England, the release of wild beavers will be managed to secure the long-term environmental benefits while seeking to minimise and avoid unwanted impacts.”
Applications for wild release licences will first need to submit an 'expression of interest’ to Natural England. The deadline for the first round of applications is 2 May 2025.
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Wild and enclosed releases
The very first beavers were legally released in the UK in Scotland in 2009 through a partnership between Scottish Wildlife Trust, Zoological Society of Scotland and what is now Forestry Land Scotland.
In England, a successful beaver reintroduction trial was initially carried out in Devon between 2015 and 2020. Since then, other releases have taken place in large enclosures.
However, illegal beaver releases mean they can be found in many sites across the UK.
The government has now announced that all existing beaver populations will be allowed to remain and expand naturally and will ensure that appropriate management measures are put in place.
Existing populations of wild beavers will continue to be proactively managed by their local beaver management group.
Alan Lovell, Chair of the Environment Agency said: “As part of our work to reduce flood risk and restore rivers to good health, the return of wild beavers will improve water quality, boost biodiversity and build resilience to climate change through nature-based solutions.
“Beavers help reduce flooding in nearby towns, remove pollutants from our precious waterways and help to create clean water. Working alongside our partners, the Environment Agency will continue to support the careful management of wild beavers”.
Wildlife-friendly farming
While some farmers and landowners have voiced concerns about the rewilding of the UK with beavers because of potential damage to farmland, field flooding and riverbanks being undermined, others are embracing the decision.
Chris Jones is a livestock farmer in Cornwall and part of the Nature Friendly Farming Network. He has already given up five acres of his working farm for the enclosed Cornwall Beaver Project after seeing how flooding affected his local village, Ladock.
"I think the announcement about wild introductions is an incredibly good thing, the sooner we can get on with it the better," he said. "As long as it's done in sensible places the animals can have so much positive impact – flood management, cleaning up our rivers, drought mitigation.
"They do things like cut down trees, but that can be a positive thing. It can create deadwood habitat, which is good for insects and in turn good for bats and birds.
"They can build dams, but this can slow down the flow of a river after heavy rainfall."
Long-term campaign
The return of beavers has been campaigned for by wildlife and conservation groups for a long time.
The UK's Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) ran a public beaver consultation in 2022, which revealed overwhelming support for reintroducing the species.
In October 2022 the government changed English law to make them a native species and they gained legal protection, making it an offence to deliberately capture, injure, kill or disturb them or damage and destroy their breeding sites or resting places without a licence.
It followed Scotland’s decision to make beavers a protected species in 2019.
Wales still lacks legislation to protect beavers and enable their effective management, although the government announced in September 2024 that it supports moving towards the managed reintroduction to the country.
Main image credit: Elliot McCandless
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