Beavers are back in Britain.

Following the culmination of the successful Scottish Beaver Trial in Knapdale, the Scottish Government announced in November 2016 that beavers were to be given leave to remain in Scotland. Beavers’ status north of the border was further strengthened with the Scottish Government’s announcement in May 2019 that they would be recognised as a European Protected Species. Beavers have continued to flourish in Scotland, particularly in the Tayside area, with the most recent estimates citing a population of around 1,000 animals.

The situation south of the border though is less clear cut.

Following the discovery of a wild population of beavers living on the River Otter in Devon, Natural England licenced the official River Otter Beaver Trial in 2015 to monitor the beavers’ effects on the landscape. The River Otter Beaver Trial ended in 2020, and following the submission of their Science and Evidence Report summarising the benefits that beavers can bring for people and wildlife, the UK government announced in August 2020 that beavers on the River Otter would be allowed to remain.

However, the beavers on the River Otter are by no means the only wild-living beavers in England. Beavers are good at escaping their enclosures, and as a result, wild populations of beavers are currently living on the rivers Stour in Kent; Tamar in Devon; Avon, Frome and Brue in Somerset and Wiltshire; Little Dart in Devon; and Wye in Herefordshire. None of these populations are officially licensed, and as such their status remains unclear.

In Wales too, unlicensed escaped wild-living beavers are reported on the rivers Dyfi and Wye, but the Welsh Government has not yet made its decision on the future status of beavers either. As a result of this piecemeal approach to beaver reintroduction across Britain, and the differing legal status of the species across borders, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) launched a consultation in August 2021 on beaver reintroduction and management in England, with aims to gather stakeholder’s opinions on a proposed national approach to beaver management. The consultation closes on November 17th.

The government proposes:

· To permit further wild reintroduction projects where licence applications demonstrate clear benefits and where risks of negative outcomes are avoided, mitigated for, or managed.

· That beavers remain on Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981), so it remains unlawful to release a beaver into the wild without a licence.

· Existing wild beaver populations in England will be permitted to remain and will be subject to management.

· To continue permitting releases of beavers into enclosures; under tightened licence conditions to focus on the clear benefits of a project.

In addition to the proposed management approach outlined in the consultation, the UK Government has announced that beavers will become a European Protected Species in England by listing them in Schedule 2 of the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations (2017). Giving beavers this protection will bring English beavers’ status in line with those in Scotland, meaning that it will be an offence to deliberately capture, kill, disturb or injure beavers. It will also be an offence to damage or destroy breeding sites or resting places. Landowners wishing to carry out management activities which would otherwise be prohibited will be required to apply for a licence from Natural England.

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust is encouraged by the Government’s decision to extend native species protected status to beavers, and agrees with the proposals outlined in the consultation to facilitate further reintroductions of this keystone species. 

Read the Trust’s response to the consultation 

The consultation also provides a platform for the Trust to declare its aspiration for a wild release of beavers onto the Isle of Wight.

The Island is uniquely placed to host a wild release of beavers, separated as it is from the English mainland by the Solent. The Island’s geographical isolation and reduced carrying capacity allows for a small-scale wild release of beavers that can be managed by Trust and partners, providing ideal conditions to further research the benefits of beavers outside of an enclosure on local communities, but with a viable exit strategy should this be necessary.

The Trust commissioned a feasibility study in 2020 that finds ample suitable habitat availability on the Island, especially on the Eastern Yar catchment. Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust own 300 acres of land in an interconnected network of nature reserves along 4.5km of the Eastern Yar, where beavers would have ample space to colonise with minimal landowner conflict. The benefits to biodiversity at a catchment-wide scale have great potential, with knock-on benefits brought to other UK protected species such as otters and water voles. The Island is already a destination for eco-tourism, but the economic stimulus into the local community from wildlife viewing is only expected to increase upon beavers’ release. Beavers can also offer ecosystem services to downstream communities that currently suffer from flash flooding during high rainfall events, and reduced water quality from agricultural runoff within the Eastern Yar catchment.

I started my role as Beaver Recovery Project Officer for the Trust In the summer of 2021. My work includes leading on a public consultation to help inform any future prospective beaver releases. This includes education and outreach events within the local community, guided walks, public events, and landowner consultations. By facilitating the opportunity for the public to gain information on how beavers could enhance the Island, the Trust will then aim to submit a licence application to Natural England in due course.

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