Government approach to beavers in England
On 28 February, the government announced that the wild release of beavers will be permitted under licence as part of a carefully planned reintroduction programme.
This builds on existing legal and illegal beaver populations which have established in England and follows on from the government鈥檚 consultation on its approach to beaver reintroduction and management.
This announcement was supported by a which sets out the government鈥檚 approach to the wild release and management of beavers in England. It includes details of the new wild release licensing criteria, how existing populations will be managed, support available to landowners and farmers, and a commitment to consult with stakeholders on the long-term management plan for beavers in England.
In the right location, beavers can provide certain benefits, and some farmers and landowners may be interested in beaver reintroduction opportunities. However, the NFU is concerned about the negative impacts beavers can have on productive farmland and wider countryside, as well as the management requirements, costs and risks involved.
皇家华人is worried that further wild releases will go ahead before the government has consulted and put in place its long-term management approach. Read the NFU鈥檚 response in full.
The announcement and statement were supported by additional guidance on the management and licensing of beavers. The full collection of guidance can be found on and has been summarised below for information.
Managing beavers
Beavers are legally protected.
Eurasian beavers are legally protected, therefore unless a licence is obtained, it is a criminal offence to:
- deliberately injure, kill, capture, or disturb beavers
- damage or destroy a beaver breeding site or resting place such as a burrow, lodge or associated dam with a borrow or lodge
- keep a beaver or parts of a beaver you have taken from the wild
- transport a beaver
- sell or exchange or offer a beaver for sale or exchange.
Certain management actions are, however, permitted without a licence. It is important for farmers and land managers to familiarise themselves with the management actions they can undertake and when licences are required to ensure that no offences are inadvertently committed.
Management approach
The government鈥檚 outlines the five steps that should be followed when managing beavers:
- Engaging with beaver management groups established around wild-living populations, Natural England, and other expert organisations, to learn about the potential benefits of beavers and approaches to manage or minimise challenges.
- Making space for beavers to avoid the need for further actions, such as leaving space around a waterway for beavers to use.
- Taking proactive lawful mitigation and management actions that do not need a licence, such as installing tree guards to protect trees or removing a dam that is less than two weeks old.
- Lower-impact licensed actions, such as reducing dam height or removing an established dam outside the breeding season.
- Higher-impact licensed actions that only a specially trained and licensed person can carry out, such as modifying or removing a dam during the breeding season, beaver capture and translocation, or lethal control. Lethal control should only be considered as a last resort.
The steps should be followed in order, moving onto the next step once the previous step has been fully considered.
More detail on the steps and management activities is available in additional government guidance on: .
Licensed activities and releases
To carry out licensed activities, there are class licences that can be obtained from Natural England to modify or remove beaver habitats. These are summarised below.
CL52 is the licence that will be most relevant to farmers and land managers.
- CL52 鈥� for farmers, landowners, fishery managers or foresters outside the beaver breeding season (1 September and 28 February)
- Visit: .
- CL51 鈥� for land, water, or fishery managers or those who work for a public body or authority
- Visit: .
- CL50 鈥� or experts, specialists, or those in a beaver management group
- Visit: .
Other mitigation and general beaver licences include:
- : mitigation licence to carry out works that may affect beavers in ways that would otherwise be illegal.
- : general licence to temporarily possess and move dead beavers for post-mortem testing.
- : general licence to immediately re-release beavers that have been accidentally taken from the wild, for example in a trap set for another species.
There are specific licenses needed to release beavers into the wild or in enclosures.
To release beavers into the wild in England an A69 licence is required; this could include new releases, releasing beavers from enclosures and the genetic expansion of existing populations.
To apply for a licence, interested parties would need to request an . The expression of interest form will help Natural England to assess potential release projects against the government鈥檚 , and whether they are ready for a full application.
Only the strongest projects will be invited to make a full application, the aim of which is to ensure beaver reintroduction occurs at a measured pace.
The criteria ensures that the project plans cover at least 10 years, there is an exit strategy to ensure support continues after this initial period, the project considers the socio-economic impacts such as on land use, and includes further such as farmers.
To release beavers into a secure enclosure, an is required from Natural England. Any enclosure application must include measures to prevent escapes and to recapture any animals that do escape.
Funding and support
To accommodate some of the actions needed to mitigate against impacts and make space for beavers, there is some support within ELMs (Environmental Land Management scheme). There is no direct compensation available for farmers and landowners impacted by beavers.
There are capital items available under the . This includes (crop protection fencing mesh and wire for permanent crops), (tree guard post and wire) and (expert dam management).
The SFI (Sustainable Farming Incentive) and CSHT (Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier) include some actions that help support riparian management, including the creation or restoration of these habitats. For example, : Make room for the river to move.
These actions may help support making space for beavers in these areas.
More information about ELMs is on our essential information page.
If beavers are part of a licensed release project, the project should provide some support. There may be a in your area that can help with management.
Beavers may affect the delivery of an existing agri-environment agreement; this could be public or privately funded.
Affected agreement holders may need to let the funder know. For ELMs, this would be the RPA (Rural Payment Agency).
The RPA has provided . Although not written for this purpose, the guidance may also apply to flooding caused by beavers.
Your questions answered
1. Finding beavers on your land
If you have beavers on your land there will be signs, such as dams, burrows, gnawed trees, and trails through vegetation around water bodies.
Further information on what signs to look out for can be found on: .
2. Do I need to report signs and sightings of beavers?
No, it is not legally required to report signs and sightings of beavers but it is encouraged.
Further information on recording beaver data can be found on: .
These beavers may have expanded from an existing population, escaped, or have been illegally released. Reporting signs and sightings could help ensure the right next steps are taken.
It is understandable that some land managers may be worried about reporting the presence of a protected species and may not wish to.
3. Who to contact for advice
Natural England has an enquiry line if you have questions about beaver activity on your land. It can direct you to the most appropriate advice.
This may be a local expert or a beaver management group. You can also contact a local beaver management group directly.
Natural England enquiry phone number: 0300 060 3900.
Natural England enquiry email: [email protected].听
4. Managing wild beavers 鈥� who is responsible?
Where beavers are wild (and not part of a licensed enclosure or release project) the position is the same as other wild animals 鈥� landowners and managers will be responsible for the management of the population and the impacts on their land.
Some management support is available in catchments with known populations from the local experts and beaver management groups. To find out more about the beaver management groups in your area visit: .
5. Compensation
You will not be compensated for the impact of beavers on your land. As with other species of wild animals, there is currently no direct compensation for the impacts of beaver activity on land.
There is some support available to mitigate against impacts and make space for beavers within ELMs (Environmental Land Management scheme). Landowners and managers may wish to consider exploring whether there are any suitable insurance products available if there are areas which are likely to be susceptible to beaver damage.
6. Beaver management activities without a licence
There are several actions outlined in the which can be undertaken without a licence. It will be important to select the right options for each specific situation and familiarise yourself with the management options.
This could be installing tree guards or removing a dam that is less than two weeks old (outside of beaver breeding season).
7. Licence to modify and remove beaver habitats
You can apply for CL52 鈥� for farmers, landowners, fishery managers or foresters outside the beaver breeding season (1 September and 28 February). Visit: .