The announcement that applications to return beavers into river catchments in England will be accepted is welcome news from the UK Government. 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.

Earlier this month, Shropshire Wildlife Trust released a pair of beavers into a purpose-built enclosure in Shrewsbury, in partnership with Shrewsbury Town Council. The two adult beavers, a male and female, have been released as part of a five-year trial to assess the impact of this keystone species on an existing wetland site. The project was made possible thanks to funding partners including Severn Trent Water, Veolia Environmental Trust and Potter Group as part of the Landfill Communities Fund, Beaver Bridges and John Ellerman Foundation as well as the generosity of Shropshire Wildlife Trust members and supporters.

The Wildlife Trusts are now poised to work with partners such as the Beaver Trust to facilitate the long overdue return of beavers to all Britain’s major river catchments.

Richard Grindle, CEO at Shropshire Wildlife Trust, says:

“We are delighted to hear that the government has decided to allow the release of beavers back into the wild. Beavers are nature’s ‘ecosystem engineers’ and returning them to their rightful place in the landscape will bring multiple benefits: restoring habitats, improving water quality, and helping to reduce flood risk. We recognise that some land managers may have concerns about the impact on farming but we are confident that this can be managed.”

Tom Freeland, Head of Nature Reserves at Shropshire Wildlife Trust, says:

“We are very excited about the potential for wild release of beavers, having recently welcomed a pair back to Shropshire for the first time in centuries. Earlier this month, two beavers were release into a purpose-built enclosure at Shrewsbury Town Council’s Old River Bed reserve in Shrewsbury, as part of a five year trial. While we’re still learning what the beavers can do to help us manage this site and inspire local people, we’re looking forward to seeing and sharing the many benefits studies elsewhere show they can bring, from flood and drought alleviation to natural management of wetland habitats.

We look forward to working with partners to realise the benefits of beavers across the county in the years to come.”

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.