Beaver Consultation in England

Defra has today announcedconsultation to seek views on the cautious release and management of beavers into the wild’.

The 12-week consultation is seeking views on:

  • Potential future releases into the wild
  • Current and future releases into enclosures
  • Mitigation and management of beaver activity or impacts in the wild, including the River Otter population and all other existing wild living beaver populations

There are plans to give beavers legal protection in England, making it an offence to deliberately capture, kill, disturb or injure beavers, or damage breeding sites or resting places.

Beavers are already living wild in England. Estimates vary but the numbers are in the hundreds. 

WTT will, of course, be responding to the consultation and we will publish the response on our website. 

We have created a Beaver Hub’ to provide objective information about beavers and their impact on trout. The hub also includes our current view on beavers, which we will be updating in the light of our recent visits to beaver sites (both wild and enclosed) in Devon, Cornwall and Scotland. 

Beaver female with kits 1 M Iike Symes comp
Image: Mike Symes