Wild beaver return in jeopardy after Government pulls legal protections at eleventh hour

The Wildlife Trusts call for an explanation as promised protections for beavers are put on hold

The Wildlife Trusts are extremely concerned after legal protections for beavers – due to be laid in parliament today – were pulled at the eleventh hour. The decision puts in jeopardy ambitions to see wild beavers return to England, and will have damaging impacts for nature, climate, and communities.

Beavers are key to creating thriving wetland ecosystems – which are critical for climate adaptation –and provide a wealth of benefits for nature and people. A change in legal status would make it an offence to deliberately capture, kill, disturb, or injure beavers, or damage their breeding sites or resting places – without holding the appropriate license. The legislation was scheduled to come into force on 1^st October.

Natural England is also developing guidance on the management of beavers, setting out which actions will or will not require a licence, and where people can go for advice.

The Wildlife Trusts are extremely concerned that protections could be abandoned for “nature’s engineers”.

The charities also call for flexible and practical management guidance and – crucially – incentives for landowners to make space for beavers on their land.

Steve Gardner

David Parkyn

Craig Bennett, chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts, says:

“Clarity around legal protections for beavers are crucial if populations are to recover and thrive long term – it is extremely disappointing that this legislation has been brought to a juddering holt, with no explanation why. We need to see the widespread return of wild beavers to create vital wetland habitats and restore rivers, many of which have been damaged by centuries of dredging and being cut off from floodplains. As England grapples with a nature and climate emergency, we need our beavers back.”

“Government’s approach to beavers must be ambitious. The licensing guidance should be sensible and pragmatic, supporting landowners, wildlife organisations, communities, and licensing bodies to work together in re-establishing beavers in appropriate locations and providing a much-needed boost to nature.”

Harry Barton, chief executive of Devon Wildlife Trust, says:

"The River Otter Beaver Trial showed what a broad range of benefits beavers can bring to our rivers, wildlife, and people – including improved resilience against flooding and helping landscapes adapt to climate change. Clarifying the legal protection of beavers, which Defra had assured us would be announced during this week of record-breaking temperatures, could have given the opportunity for communities across the country to benefit from these remarkable creatures.”

“Defra must act now and clarify the situation on new legal protections if beavers are to thrive long term. And these protections must work in parallel with practical approaches to management. It is equally important that landowners are given the right support and financial incentives to make space for beavers and the valuable wetland habitats they create. This is the time for action, not delay.”

The Wildlife Trusts are calling on the Government to:

Support ambitious and carefully targeted reintroduction projects
Reward landowners who make space for wetlands created by beavers
Adopt management systems that protect beavers and resolve problems effectively
Support local beaver management groups to deliver advice and assistance

Beavers are a ‘keystone species’ and have a highly positive impact on their environment. The industrious herbivores are native to mainland Britain but were hunted to extinction in the 16^th century by people who wanted their fur, meat, and scent glands. The end of beavers led to the loss of the mosaic of lakes, meres, mires, tarns, and boggy places that they were instrumental in creating.

Beaver kit carrying sticks (https://vimeo.com/730952273)

Cheshire Wildlife Trust

The Wildlife Trusts & beavers

The Wildlife Trusts are at the forefront of beaver reintroductions in the UK and released a record number of beavers in 2021, with seventeen beavers released into fenced areas. This came twenty years after Kent Wildlife Trust brought the first beavers back to Britain at Ham Fen near Sandwich in 2001.

In Scotland and Devon, Wildlife Trusts pioneered licensed trial releases of beavers into the wild, backed by extensive scientific research and strong partnerships, which demonstrated the many benefits of beavers and the most effective tools for managing them. Due to the success of both trials, beavers have been allowed to remain and spread naturally in the River Otter catchment, Devon and in Knapdale, Scotland.

In July 2022, news of beaver kits was announced by Derbyshire, Cheshire and Dorset Wildlife Trusts at enclosed projects on nature reserves. There are now more than 20 wild beaver territories on the River Otter catchment, monitored by Devon Wildlife Trust. Five kits arrived in 2022 to one of the original females in the River Otter Beaver Trial. The Welsh Beaver Project, led by Wildlife Trusts Wales, saw its first kit born at an enclosure on Cors Dyfi nature reserve, Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust.

Find more information on The Wildlife Trusts beaver reintroduction projects here.

Legal protections for beavers in England delayed (https://vimeo.com/731706470/e3b4ab20db)

Editor's notes

The Wildlife Trusts’ beaver reintroductions:

Find more information here.

River Otter Beaver Trial – led by Devon Wildlife Trust, this first reintroduction of an extinct native mammal to England was backed up by five years of research in partnership with the University of Exeter, which showed that:

Beavers create a fantastic range of wetland habitats that provide homes for other wildlife and greatly enhance conditions for nature to thrive and store carbon
The channels, dams and wetlands that beavers engineer hold back water and release it more slowly after heavy rain, helping to reduce the risk of flooding
Their activities prevent soil being washed away after rainfall – their dams filter water, cleaning it and reducing pollution downstream
Read the report here

Devon Wildlife Trust

Since 2011, Devon Wildlife Trust has also run a beaver project on a three-hectare, securely-fenced, private site in western Devon. This was undertaken so that DWT can monitor the ecological effects of beavers.
Working closely with scientists from the University of Exeter, their research focuses on the impact of beavers on:

Trees and other plants
Wildlife populations, including amphibians, bats & breeding birds
Water levels and flow rates through the site
Water quality on either side of beaver dams

Wildlife Trusts Wales

The Welsh Beaver Project, led by Wildlife Trusts Wales (WTW), has been investigating the feasibility of bringing wild beavers back to Wales since 2005.
In the spring of 2021, the first part of a family group, father and son, arrived and were released in the enclosure at Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust’s Cors Dyfi nature reserve. This was closely followed by the female beaver/mother.
WTW have submitted a licence application to Natural Resources Wales (NRW) for a managed reintroduction of beavers onto the River Dyfi – a wild release. NRW require further information before a decision is made. If the licence is successful, this will be a 5-year pilot to monitor the effects of beavers in the wild in Wales.
A Beaver Management Network has been established as part of the proposals for beaver reintroduction.
In due course, there will be a consultation led by Natural Resources Wales.

Kent Wildlife Trust - The Ham Fen Beaver Project

Kent Wildlife Trust were the first trust to release beavers with an enclosed reintroduction at Ham Fen Nature Reserve in Sandwich, the last remaining area of fenland in the South East.
They began by releasing two families of Norwegian beavers in 2001. At the last count, there were ten beavers on site.
Since their arrival, the habitat has been greatly improved by these ‘water engineers’ harvesting the trees and plants, raising the water table with dams and enriching the wetland habitat for other endangered species, including the water vole, great crested newt and wetland birds.

Cornwall Beaver Project

Working with a local farmer, from Woodland Valley Farm, Cornwall Wildlife Trust brought Eurasian beavers back to Cornwall in the summer of 2017.
Beavers were reintroduced to a specially fenced area upstream of Ladock village, just outside Truro. Ladock has suffered severe flooding in recent years, and this project is designed to help reduce flooding intensity.
The University of Exeter has studied the impacts of the beavers in this landscape

Cheshire Beaver Project

Cheshire Wildlife Trust reintroduced a pair of beavers at Hatchmere Lake Nature Reserve.
The couple settled into their new 4.5-hectare enclosure as part of a five-year project.
The Trust will monitor the changes the animals make, checking the quality of the water and the effects on wildlife, including breeding birds, bats, aquatic invertebrates and the rare plants and mosses.
News of a kit, a young beaver, was announced in July 2022.

Dorset Beaver Project

In February 2021, Dorset Wildlife Trust released two beavers, an adult male and female, into an enclosed site in west Dorset.
The beavers have been introduced as part of a scientific study. A key focus of the Project is to monitor and record the impact the beavers have on water quality, flooding and other wildlife. This monitoring will be undertaken with the University of Exeter and Wessex Water.
News of a kit, a young beaver, was announced in July 2022

Cumbria Wildlife Trust 

In 2020, Cumbria Beaver Group, led by Cumbria Wildlife Trust released two beavers to an enclosure at the Lowther Estate in the Lake District.

Essex Wildlife Trust

At Spains Hall Estate at Braintree, Essex Wildlife Trust is working with the landowner and other partners on a Natural Flood Management Project for the land above Finchingfield. This included introducing two beavers in a 4-hectare woodland enclosure.
A third set of kits was announced in 2022

Nottinghamshire

In 2021, the Trust reintroduced eight beavers into a vast enclosure in the Idle Valley Nature Reserve in north Nottinghamshire. The ambitious plan is to create one of the largest beaver enclosures in England with space for up to three beaver families.

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust

After 800 years, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust brought beavers back to Willington Wetlands Nature Reserve (over 40 hectares enclosed area) in September 2021.
News of kits was announced in July 2022.
This project is a step on to create a Wilder Derbyshire – helping the Trent Valley prepare and respond to a changing climate.

Sussex Wildlife Trust

Sussex Wildlife Trust is the lead partner in the Sussex Beaver Group.

Northumberland

Northumberland Wildlife Trust is in the early stages of a feasibility study. They are working with several landowners and other stakeholders to develop opportunities to bring back beavers as a natural solution to climate change mitigation and adaptation and biodiversity loss.

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust plan to return the beaver to the Isle of Wight.
Exeter University is leading a feasibility study, with a particular focus on the Trust's Newchurch Moors nature reserve. It is hoped that beavers can be officially released into an open area rather than fenced enclosures.
HIWWT launched a public consultation in February 2022 to gather locals’ opinions on beavers. 4,883 people responded to the survey and 89% said they feel positively about beavers being introduced to the island. It is hoped the Trust could return beavers to the Isle of Wight by 2024.

Shropshire Wildlife Trust

Shropshire Wildlife Trust has identified a 12-hectare urban site in central Shrewsbury where planning is in progress for a pair of beavers to be released as a trial into a secure enclosure in 2022/23.
The beavers will replace grazing cattle to prevent trees and scrub from invading the wetland and allow the site to become more diverse in wildlife.
It will be the first trial of an urban enclosed release and the site is surrounded by housing estates and a school, so there will be plenty of opportunities for local people to be involved.

Wilder Marches

This is a project proposal to improve habitats across a much wider landscape, combining the effort of Shropshire, Herefordshire, Montgomeryshire, and Radnorshire Wildlife Trusts. which has beavers have been identified as one of its key species. The project will aim to reintroduce beavers into the local river catchments (such as the Wye and the Lugg).

Avon Wildlife Trust

Avon Wildlife Trust was pleased to confirm the discovery of wild beavers in the River Avon in September 2021, the first time they had been recorded in the region in 400 years. Working with local stakeholders, Avon Wildlife Trust set up Bristol Avon and Somerset Frome Beaver Management Group and are pleased to see that the beavers are thriving, with new kits born this year.

The Wildlife Trusts

The Wildlife Trusts are making the world wilder and helping to ensure that is nature is part of everyone’s lives. We are a grassroots movement of 46 charities with more than 850,000 members and 38,000 volunteers. No matter where you are in Britain, there is a Wildlife Trust inspiring people and saving, protecting, and standing up for the natural world. With the support of our members, we care for and restore special places for nature on land and run marine conservation projects and collect vital data on the state of our seas. Every Wildlife Trust works within its local community to inspire people to create a wilder future – from advising thousands of landowners on how to manage their land to benefit wildlife, to connecting hundreds of thousands of school children with nature every year.