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Calls for ‘clarity and urgency’ from Government on plans for beavers

Beaver kit on River Otter by Mike Symes

A charity which pioneered the reintroduction of beavers is now calling for greater clarity and urgency from the Government in relation to its national plans for the widespread return of the animals.

Devon Wildlife Trust says it welcomes the recent announcement from Government that Eurasian beavers will be given legal protection in England from 1 October 2022, and the publication of guidance in early September which outlines how beavers might be managed in the future.

However, the charity is concerned that the proposals lack ambition and detail. It warns that, in their current form, they will not deliver the widespread reintroduction of a species which scientific studies have shown can improve water quality in rivers, stabilise water flows during times of drought and flood, store carbon and boost other wildlife.(1) 

We need a clear plan and timetable so these amazing animals can become part of the wildlife of rivers throughout England.
Harry Barton, CEO of Devon Wildlife Trust

Harry Barton is Devon Wildlife Trust’s Chief Executive. In 2015 the charity led a successful trial on the River Otter in Devon where England’s first wild population of beavers were reintroduced – 400 years after their extinction due to hunting and habitat loss. This trial was a great success and the Government subsequently agreed that the beavers on the River Otter could remain in the wild and spread naturally to other rivers. Harry said:

“A summer of record-breaking heat and drought has highlighted the urgency of making our landscapes more resilient to the unfolding climate emergency. Beavers have created green oases in our parched river valleys, because of their ability to store water through dam building and wetland creation.  And we know they can reduce peak flows in times of flood and help improve water quality. 

The Government’s recent announcements on protection for beavers and their management are good news, but they lack clarity and a sense of urgency.  We need a clear plan and timetable so these amazing animals can become part of the wildlife of rivers throughout England.”

Female beaver leaves artificial lodge and walks towards pond on release site near River Tale, May 2016

Female beaver released on pond near River Tale in 2016, photo Nick Upton

The Wildlife Trusts and Beaver Trust is backing this call in a letter to Ranil Jayawadena, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. This asks Government to make five key actions to ensure beaver reintroductions can take place on a scale and at a pace which will bring maximum advantage to wider society.

 

These actions include:

  1. Publishing an ambitious strategy and timeline for beaver reintroduction in English river catchments.

 

  1. Reconsidering the proposals for funding beaver releases into the wild. At present these impose prohibitive levels of upfront costs on groups wanting to reintroduce beaver populations.

 

  1. Establishing a system of financial support which will reward the farmers and landowners who provide space for beavers and their wetlands.

 

  1. Putting in place and then resourcing a network of Beaver Management Groups across England to support farmers, landowners and local communities as new beaver populations become established.

 

  1. Confirming the futures of existing wild living beaver populations (including the Tamar in Devon and the Stour in Kent) outside of the River Otter, Devon. 

 

 

Sandra King, Chief Executive of Beaver Trust, commented:

“Beavers bring such an astonishing array of ecosystem services to our landscape, this truly is an historic day for the species in England. It is thanks to the hard work and determination of pioneering individuals and wildlife organisations that the recovery of this once-native animal is able to celebrate this milestone.

    

“It remains urgent and vital that the Government delivers a clear, ambitious policy and licensing guidance to support beaver restoration in the wild.  At the end of the day, if we are to welcome beavers back as a native animal our primary objective must be to target positive coexistence with beavers. A properly resourced, forward looking strategy will enable land managers and communities to do this.”

    

Ali Morse, water policy manager of The Wildlife Trusts, says:

“The Government’s recent consultation on the future of beavers in England showed significant support for their widespread reintroduction. Of more than 3,000 responses nearly 70% were positive about Defra’s plans for the return of beavers. Even among the minority who objected the most common reason given was that the pace of Government plans for their return was too slow!(2)

The return of beavers to rivers across England has public support and is line with the Government's own commitments enshrined in its 25-year Environment Plan and the legally binding target of its Environment Act 2021 to halt nature’s decline. What we need now is action.”

Editor's notes

  1. River Otter Beaver Trial: Science and Evidence Report. https://www.exeter.ac.uk/research/creww/research/beavertrial/
  2. Consultation Outcome: summary of responses and next steps regarding the Government’s public consultation on the approach to the reintroduction of beavers in England  https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/beaver-reintroduction-and-management-in-england/outcome/summary-of-responses-and-next-steps

 

Changes affecting beavers from Oct 1st

Summary: Today (1 October) legislation comes into force across England which makes beavers a ‘European Protected Species’, and classes them as a native animal. Protected status will make it an offence to harm beavers or their habitat without a license, and classification as a native species means that measures previously available to ‘control’ beavers as a non-native species will no longer apply. (A license will still be required for beaver reintroductions.)

In detail: In July this year, Government introduced legislation to protect beavers which comes into force across England today (October 1st). The legislation does 2 things.

  • It adds beavers to Schedule 2 of the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017, meaning that beaver becomes a ‘European Protected Species’. These protections apply to species which are endangered, vulnerable, rare or otherwise at risk across Europe. Other European Protected Species present in the UK include bats, the Large Blue Butterfly, the Sand Lizard and the Natterjack Toad.

It is an offence to intentionally disturb, capture, injure, or kill a European Protected Species, or damage or destroy the species’ resting place or breeding site, without a licence.

  • It also reclassifies beavers as a native species, changing how they are dealt with under section 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which concerns the introduction of species to the countryside.

Schedule 9 to the Act lists species of animals and plants to which section 14 of the Act applies. It is an offense to release any of these species into the wild, but different provisions apply depending upon which part of the schedule the species is listed on. Beavers were listed under Part 1B of Schedule 9 (‘animals no longer normally present’), but will move to Part 1A of Schedule 9, which lists ‘native animals’. This means that actions available for Part 1B species, which are at odds with the requirement to protect beavers as a European Protected Species, will no longer be available. For example, the ability to issue ‘control orders’ (which require non-native species that are adversely impacting biodiversity or society to be controlled), will no longer exist when it comes to beavers. Moving beavers to part 1A puts them under the same arrangements as species including Barn Owl and Corncrake.

See what Devon Wildlife Trusts is doing to bring back beavers here.

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