Rewilding: Beavers to be reintroduced in record numbers across Britain this year

‘Beavers are as British as Shakespeare’, says Wildlife Trusts chief executive, as organisation makes major headway in bringing back species hunted to extinction in 16th century

A record number of beaver reintroductions are set to take place across the UK this year, as efforts to bring back the species gathers pace.

Two decades after beavers were first returned to the UK, in Scotland, and 400 years after the species was hunted to extinction in Britain, counties across England and Wales will also become home to new beaver families.

A total of around 20 animals will be released over 2021, with the first of the year’s releases already having gone ahead in Dorset.

Later in the year, Derbyshire, the Isle of Wight, Nottinghamshire and Montgomeryshire in mid-Wales will all take delivery of beavers which will be released into large enclosures. 

It is hoped the beavers’ activities will restore the valuable wetland habitats which have been missing since they were lost, and thereby boost biodiversity and reduce flood risks.

Craig Bennett, the chief executive of the Wildlife Trusts, which have organised the reintroductions, told The Independent: “Reintroducing them to several parts of the country is really exciting. The more people see them and know they have beavers living close to where they are, the more we will start to welcome them back into British society.

“We know there is a huge amount of public support for this. What we are excited about with these projects is that they increase the opportunities for people to engage with them and learn about the fantastic role beavers can play in creating wilder landscapes, helping address flood risks and bringing back the kind of mosaic landscape of wetlands. They’re a keystone species that really helps put nature in recovery.”

Dorset Wildlife Trust rivers conservation officer, Steve Oliver, said: “It’s fantastic to be welcoming beavers back to Dorset. Beavers are magnificent creatures in their own right, but they are extra special because their engineering activities have the potential to bring even more life to a landscape and enable other species to flourish.”

The release of more beavers in Britain follows a major success for conservation groups last year, when the government formally recognised the “wealth of benefits” beavers brought to the areas they inhabit.

A five-year study into the reintroduction of beavers on the River Otter in Devon revealed how the animals created new wetland habitats, improved water quality, reduced flood risks and boosted populations of fish, amphibians and water voles.

In Devon and Scotland, the beavers are not restricted to any enclosure, and it is hoped in the near future that the other reintroductions planned for England and Wales will ultimately lead to restoring wild beavers across the country.

“People should be under no illusions, we are very keen to see wild-roaming beavers as soon as we can,” Mr Bennett said.

He said the enclosures did allow ecologists to monitor the impact the animals were having, but should be regarded as “stepping stones” towards future releases.

“Beavers are as British as Shakespeare,” he said. “Their absence from this country has been an odd period, rather than having them here being odd. And our countryside has greatly missed them.

“When you see the fantastic impact they have when they’re released and reintroduced, you start to see British landscapes being British again. You start to see it being wild. A lot of our country does not look the way it should look because of the absence of beavers.” 

He added: “We’re expecting a Defra consultation this year, and we hope therefore that we will get the all clear for proper releases beyond enclosures. We hope then that those populations can breed and move out from those areas.”

In addition to the five trusts where releases are happening this year, Mr Bennett said there are “many more” wildlife trusts that want to release beavers in their areas in the coming years.

“We are expecting over the next five years we will see beavers roaming wild across much of the county and those populations will be able to join up so that they become resilient long-term,” he said.

He also said the beavers were playing a significant role in helping us reconsider the countryside and how it can be enriched through such reintroductions.

“They are wonderful ambassadors for a wilder future – trying to make sure we have wilder landscapes right across the UK for a number of species and helping nature recover more generally.”

New Wildlife Trust beaver releases for 2021:

Dorset Wildlife Trust

On Monday 8 February two beavers were released at an enclosed site in Dorset.

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust

Two beaver families and their kits will be released into a 12-hectare enclosed area of Willington Wetlands reserve in the Trent valley following a very successful fundraising campaign and feasibility studies. The site is being made ready for beavers to be rehomed from a site in Scotland later this year.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust

Subject to a successful licence application, the trust plans to release beavers on the Isle of Wight for the first time. 

Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust

The Trust plans to reintroduce at least four beavers this summer into a huge enclosure in the spectacular Idle Valley Nature Reserve in North Nottinghamshire.  

Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust

The Welsh Beaver Project has been assisting Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust with their plans to release a pair beavers into an enclosure at their Cors Dyfi Nature Reserve, near Machynlleth. It will be the first officially licenced release of beavers in Wales. 

Shropshire Wildlife Trust

An honorary mention, as in 2022, Shropshire Wildlife Trust is planning an urban introduction of beavers. The trust has identified a 12-hectare site in central Shrewsbury where a pair of beavers will be released in an enclosure, replacing grazing cattle to prevent trees and scrub for invading the wetland.