Today the Government announced that applications to return beavers into river catchments in England will be accepted. This paves the way for this native species to roam wild in British rivers and lakes once more, helping to create wetlands and increase biodiversity. Natural England has developed a detailed licencing regime and application process to make sure that stakeholders are engaged and landowners are supported. 

Only 14% of rivers in the UK are in good ecological condition and beavers are natural ecosystem engineers, retaining as well as releasing water, filtering pollution and creating the conditions for an explosion of wetland and river wildlife. The Government recently committed to spending billions of pounds on hard infrastructure to combat flooding as well as compensating farmers for lost crops due to changing weather patterns. Releasing beavers represents a nature-based solution to many problems our rivers face and are shown to significantly reduce flood peaks. 

The return of beavers has been carefully planned over a long period of time. DEFRA ran a public beaver consultation three years ago showing overwhelming support for reintroducing this keystone species; changes to English law made them a native species in October 2022.  

The Wildlife Trusts have been at the forefront of campaigning for the return of beavers. In 2009, the very first beavers were legally released into Scotland through a partnership between Scottish Wildlife Trust, Zoological Society of Scotland and what is now Forestry Land Scotland. In England and Wales, Devon Wildlife Trust led the five-year River Otter Beaver Trial to assess the impacts of beavers that were reintroduced under licence into the River Otter and explored how they could work with landowners to mitigate any localised issues. Elsewhere, Wildlife Trusts have built large enclosures to house beavers and test their return to Britain. The Wildlife Trusts are now poised to work with partners such as the Beaver Trust to return beavers to all Britain’s major river catchments. 

The Wildlife Trusts believe their release into river catchments is long overdue.  

Pete Burgess, director of nature recovery at Devon Wildlife Trust, says: 

“Beavers are nature’s aquatic engineers and a force of nature. They have unrivalled capacity to breathe new life into our threatened rivers and wetlands. Our 14 year partnership with the University of Exeter has revealed the pivotal role wild beavers play in nature’s recovery and providing multiple benefits that society needs – including significant reduction in the most damaging flood peaks, drought resilience, improved water quality, and carbon sequestration.  

“The beavers in Devon have inspired communities to take action for nature and have boosted tourist visits. I’ve had the privilege of experiencing how wildlife thrives with the return of beavers and wish everyone to have this opportunity in their lives.”          

The Wildlife Trusts are delighted that Natural England will grant licences to release beavers within the year with wild releases expected as early as autumn 2025. The charities welcome the opportunity to work with landowners and communities in the areas where beavers have made a comeback already – and are looking forward to a future where beavers are considered a normal part of UK wildlife. 

Rob Stoneman, director of landscape recovery at The Wildlife Trusts, says: 

“Beavers lived alongside us for thousands of years before we hunted them to British extinction a few hundred years ago. Now we’ll be able to see beavers return to our rivers and, in turn, witness the way they create new wetlands and flood protection for our homes and ensure better water quality – at almost no cost to society. More than that, we can all experience the magic of seeing beavers back in rivers that will be wilder as a result. 

“Now that the first step has been taken to letting beavers be free, we need to see sufficient advice, support, and funding earmarked for landowners to help them facilitate beavers on their land and manage the resulting changes to landscapes.” 

You can read The Wildlife Trusts’ A vision for the return of beavers to England and Wales here.