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 is shown to significantly reduce flood peaks.

The return of beavers has been carefully planned over a long period. 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.

Alongside The Wildlife Trusts, we 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 the 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. Elsewhere, Wildlife Trusts have built large enclosures to house beavers and test their return to Britain. 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.

We were delighted to help facilitate ‘Bringing Beavers Back to Ealing’, a Rewild London Fund 2 project in Autumn 2023. This project reintroduced a family of five beavers to Paradise Fields in Ealing – the first beavers to be seen in West London for 400 years. Excitingly in 2024, at least two new beaver kits were born at the site – showcasing the success of the project – that these iconic species really can live alongside humans in an urban environment. The project was led by Citizen Zoo and Ealing Wildlife Group, and made possible with funding from the Mayor of London’s Rewild London Fund and contributions from Amazon’s Right Now Climate Fund.

David Mooney, CEO of London Wildlife Trust said: “London Wildlife Trust is proud to have supported this wonderful project to bring beavers back to Ealing. The reintroduction of this keystone species, absent in Ealing for centuries, really is going to help make London one step wilder. In the face of a climate and ecological emergency, it is partnerships like this one that will give hope for nature’s recovery and at the same time help us all recover our lost connection with the natural world.”

We are thrilled 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.