Background
The Eurasian beaver, Castor fiber, was present in Britain for over 2 million years before being hunted to extinction at least 400 years ago. However, in the last few decades they have begun to make a comeback, and have now been reintroduced or have escaped from enclosures around the country into numerous river catchments. Over 50 beaver enclosures have been constructed in England, and wild populations of beaver are now well-established in several catchments in the southwest and other regions.
Rationale for reintroduction
Beavers belong in Britain. They play an enormously important role in our native ecosystem, helping to create complex, dynamic wetland habitats that support myriad species across the food web. Beaver-created wetlands are capable of holding hundreds of thousands of litres of water, improving resilience to drought, and reducing the severity of floods.
Gloucestershire in particular is one of the most flood-prone counties in England, and many residents are concerned about the impacts of increasingly severe floods on their land and property. A growing body of evidence shows that beaver-generated wetlands can play a significant role in reducing these impacts for downstream properties, as well as providing a host of benefits for habitats and species.
Beavers are an incredibly powerful, natural tool that can help tackle today’s ever-worsening climate and biodiversity crises. Restoring this species to our landscape could be a great step towards nature’s recovery in Gloucestershire – a cause our members invest in us to pursue.
Feasibility
We recognise the importance of balancing the positives against any negative effects that might arise from beaver reintroduction, and this is why in 2023 Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust and Forestry England began a feasibility study into the biological, ecological and social aspects of free-living beaver in Gloucestershire. GWT is keen to take a proactive, evidence-led approach, identifying where potential conflicts might arise, and taking these into account when determining whether, where and how to reintroduce and manage beavers and their impacts.
We are not currently proposing any specific locations for reintroduction. The feasibility study will provide us with a broad view of opportunities and risks for each subcatchment. It will highlight areas of opportunity for wetland creation and flood-risk reduction, as well as areas where management could be required. A catchment categorised as high opportunity will not necessarily mean that beavers will be reintroduced there; it is simply the first step in locating appropriate areas. Any future translocation would need to be licensed by Natural England, which would require fulfilment of numerous criteria around ecological risk, stakeholder engagement, animal welfare, and management planning.
Natural dispersal
Whether or not a translocation proceeds in future, it is likely that beavers will colonise Gloucestershire by natural means in the coming years, so we believe it will be of benefit for both beavers and people to begin preparing for this eventuality. An actively managed return of the species would help maximise the benefits they can bring, while minimising potential conflict. GWT aims to form a group of stakeholders with this aim at its core, collaborating at a landscape scale on a reintroduction and management strategy.
Should beavers arrive by natural dispersal, a future population reinforcement may be justified in order to increase genetic robustness. However, this would be subject to the same licensing requirements as a reintroduction.
Unauthorised releases
We do not condone unauthorised releases of beaver. Our aim in any future reintroduction would be to proceed in a collaborative manner and with the support of local communities. We recognise and agree that to achieve this, it must be done under licence and in accordance with best practice, complying with all appropriate laws and regulations. Unauthorised releases, sometimes known as “beaver bombing”, are antithetical to this approach.
National policy and funding
On a national level, The Wildlife Trusts are lobbying English and Welsh governments to allow the licensing of beaver translocations into the wild, and to strengthen the funding available for landholders to make space for and manage beavers on their land. GWT backs this call. Nature needs meaningful action, and landowners need meaningful support for that action.
Funders and supporters
We are grateful to Forestry England, National Lottery Heritage Fund and members of the public who have donated to support the Beaver Feasibility Project.