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 1st 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.
Ali Morse, water policy manager for 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 16th 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.
