Wild beavers will be released in England for the first time in centuries, the Government has confirmed.
A long-awaited licensing system has been launched for releasing beavers – whose dams, canals and ponds boost wildlife and protect against floods and droughts – into the countryside, with the first wild reintroduction expected soon.
Natural England’s chairman Tony Juniper said: “This announcement is a very significant step in the long road for nature’s recovery in England, because of the real benefits that beavers create in the habitats they occupy and shape.”
Beavers, a “keystone species” who shape their natural environment, vanished from Britain more than 400 years ago because of hunting for their pelts, meat and glands.
They have made their way back to England’s rivers, through escapes from enclosures and illegal releases, and were given legal protection in 2022.
They have also been introduced to a large number of fenced wetland and river sites.
Beavers are often described as “ecosystem engineers” because of their impact on the water system, which creates habitats for water voles, water shrews, birds such as snipe and herons and a vast array of insects.
Mr Juniper said: “This is the massive multiplier effect that comes from the reintroduction of these animals, which have been missing for 400 years.
“Putting them back, we’ll be able to put back lots of more wildlife besides.
The first new release of wild beavers is expected to take place in Purbeck Heaths, a protected landscape spanning more than 8,000 acres which was designated as the UK’s first “super” nature reserve in 2020, under a licence granted to the National Trust.
The announcement came days after a farming leader said landowners must be allowed to lethally control beavers under any scheme to license their release in the wild in England.
But conservationists have called for “simple measures” such as trapping and moving to accompany reintroductions of the semi-aquatic mammals into the wild, and for payments for farmers whose land is affected by beavers.
Tom Bradshaw, President of the National Farmers Union, said: “If beavers end up in the wrong place, then that lethal control has to be part of being able to have that species reintroduced more widely.”
Beaver activities can have a negative impact including beaver dams blocking fish migrations, impacts to the landscape, trees and banks, and localised flooding of roads, properties or farmland.
Conservationists said problems can be resolved, with rapid response teams, work with communities to increase understanding of beavers and financial incentives to help land managers earn a living while working alongside the animals and wetlands.
