Government urged to make a decision on restoring beavers to the English countryside
Both the Beaver Trust has written to the Government asking that they make a timely decision on restoring beavers to the English countryside. The letter has been countersigned by more than 60 organisations, estates, experts and campaigners. The Wildlife Trusts have also written to the Government calling for a Beaver Strategy for England. A decision…
ROBT Science and Evidence Report published
The River Otter Beaver Trial (ROBT) Science and Evidence Report has been published. The five year trial, licenced by Natural England, has been a partnership between Devon Wildlife Trust, Clinton Devon Estates, Derek Gow Consultancy and the University of Exeter. The report marks the end of the trial and summarisies the studies that have been…
Beavers to be released at the Knepp Estate, Sussex in 2020
Two pairs of beavers will be released under Natural England licence into a 250 ha enclosure in the River Adur catchment on Knepp Estate in spring or autumn this year. The release will constitute a 5-year trial run by the Sussex Wildlife Trust and Knepp Estate (Knepp Reintroductions, Countrylife, Sussex Wildlife Trust, The Argus). The…
Beavers released onto National Trust property at Holnicote Estate in Somerset, southern England
A male and female beaver have been translocated from the River Tay in Scotland to a 2.7 ha fenced enclosure at Holnicote Estate owned by the National Trust in Somerset. The transfer has been carried out under licence from Scottish Natural Heritage and Natural England. The beavers will be monitored by staff from the National…
Beaver dams in Essex holding up well
The beavers released at the Spains Hall Estate in Finchingfield, Essex, last year to try to reduce flooding in the nearby village have been building lots of dams and creating wetlands. It appears that so far the beavers and their dams are standing up well to heavy rainfall (BBC News).…
Beavers in the Forest of Dean doing well
In July 2018, a pair of beavers was released into a 7 ha enclosure near Lydbrook in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England. These were removed in February 2019 following a positive test for the parasitic tapeworm Echinococcus multicularis in one of them. Subsequently, another pair of beavers was released in the autumn of 2019,…
Beavers to be released into Cumbria in the North of England
The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) have approved a licence for a trial release of beavers into an 11 ha enclosure on the Lower Estate, Penrith in the Eden Valley in Cumbria. The Lowther Estate is part of the Cumbria Beaver Group that includes Cumbria wildlife Trust, the Eden Rivers Trust and…
Latvia's animal of 2020
According to the Baltic Times, the beaver has been named the Animal of the Year in Latvia – worth celebrating!…
Beavers can benefit people and nature
The start of the New Year has heralded several articles in the media about the potential benefits that beavers can bring to people (e.g. alleviate flooding, reduce sediment and pollutant levels in rivers) and nature (e.g. create diverse new habitats with a wealth of plants and animals) and refer to the 5-year trial release of…
The National Trust to release beavers in two places in the south of England.
In 2020 The National Trust will introduce a pair of beavers into fenced enclosures at both Holnicote (also Atlas Obscura) near Exmoor in the County of Somerset and Valewood, Black Down in the South Downs near Haslemere. The recently announced plans have been approved by Natural England and the impacts of the beavers on the…
Beavers in England