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.  

Along with the The Wildlife Trusts movement, Suffolk Wildlife Trust 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. In Suffolk, we supported landowners in Mid Suffolk to reintroduce beavers by building licensed enclosures. 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. 
 

Ben McFarland, Director of Wildlife Conservation & Recovery at Suffolk Wildlife Trust, says:

"We are thrilled that the government has approved the reintroduction of beavers in England.

"Nature's decline in the UK affects us all. Poor water quality and increased flooding are just two examples of how pollution and habitat destruction have impacted people and communities. But nature can be the solution—including beavers.

"As beavers exhibit their natural damming behaviour, they help create and restore wetlands that not only increase biodiversity and improve water quality but also boost flood capacity during extreme weather. Releasing beavers represents a nature-based solution to many challenges our rivers face. Where increased water levels may affect landowners and farmers, we strongly support the government’s schemes to compensate them for any land lost for the benefit of wider society in mitigating flooding.

"In the long run, nature-based solutions—such as beaver reintroduction—benefit people, landowners, and wildlife alike."
 

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.”