By Stuart Otway – Principal Officer, Complex Licensing; Delphine Pouget - Principal Officer, Species Recovery & Reintroductions; Giles Wagstaff - Senior Officer, Complex Licensing; Amy Radford – Senior Officer, Species Recovery & Reintroductions
Two newly licensed beaver projects will very soon begin their wild releases in the south-west. These projects join the National Trust’s licensed release at Purbeck in Dorset, forming a growing network of responsible, well-planned reintroductions across the region.
These projects have all been exemplary in raising awareness, understanding and trust with local infrastructure, farming and fisheries managers. Building on last year’s (2025) policy announcement and the high interest highlighted in our August blog, these releases mark the next exciting step in restoring a species that is already supporting nature recovery at a landscape scale.
A growing national programme
These licences are part of a wider effort to support beaver recovery across England. Natural England is currently working with a further 30 promising wild release projects, each at different stages of development.
- Nine of these have already been invited to apply for licences, including proposals in Devon, Cornwall, Dorset, Kent, the Isle of Wight and Cumbria.
- The remaining projects are building partnerships, engaging local communities, and assessing benefits and risks across their catchments.
- Several are exploring releases into some of England’s largest river systems, including the Humber, Severn and Thames.
This landscape scale approach reflects what we set out in our 2025 blogs: successful reintroduction depends on long-term thinking, collaboration and careful planning across whole catchments, not just individual sites.
New tools and support for responsible management
Alongside licensing, Natural England continues to strengthen the tools and guidance available to land managers, communities and project partners.
On 2 February 2026, we launched the Beaver Considerations Assessment Toolkit (BCAT) - a new online mapping tool that helps users understand where beavers are likely to thrive, where they may build dams, and how they might interact with infrastructure, habitats and other features. This resource supports early planning, risk assessment and constructive conversations with local stakeholders.
Defra, supported by Natural England and the Environment Agency, is also leading a major programme of workshops and studies to develop a Long Term Management Plan for beavers in England. This work brings together voices from farming, fisheries, forestry, water and energy, heritage, public access, academia, environmental NGOs and more. Independent assessments of socioeconomic benefits and risks are underway, and the plan is expected later this year.
Getting reintroduction right—for nature and for communities
Reintroducing beavers is ambitious, but it must also be responsible. Our licensing process is designed to strike the right balance: bold enough to restore a keystone species, and proportionate to avoid unintended consequences.
Initial expressions of interest are intentionally straightforward—around 2,500 words—to unlock expert advice and support. Full licence applications then meet rigorous criteria based on the English Code, ensuring projects:
- engage local communities and stakeholders
- plan for healthy, sustainable populations
- put robust monitoring and management in place
- think at the scale of whole river catchments
We’ve received strong positive feedback on this approach from stakeholder groups who have concerns about risks to infrastructure, farming and fisheries. We’ve also had mixed feedback from applicants, many welcoming the approach, but some asking us to review and clarify our guidance on the level of local engagement required before application, and our guidance on roles and responsibilities for beaver activity monitoring and management.
We will continue to refine our approach and guidance, but the principle remains unchanged: responsible reintroduction is the only way to secure beavers’ future in England.
Why illegal releases undermine progress
Unlicensed releases risk creating isolated, inbred populations and can trigger conflict with farmers and land managers. Experience from elsewhere shows that unmanaged introductions can trigger heightened tension, calls for lethal control and persecution. That is why Natural England insists on well-planned, collaborative projects built on engagement and trust. These foundations are essential for long-term coexistence.
Looking ahead
Later this year we intend to open again for further expressions of interest from potential wild release projects. We will continue to review and improve our processes, drawing on feedback from the south west projects and others already in development.
Reintroducing beavers is a significant milestone with the potential to make a huge difference to nature recovery. Natural England is proud to champion this work, support our partners and ensure that beaver return is managed in a way that benefits both wildlife and communities.
If you’d like to explore the science, policy and principles behind this programme, you can revisit our two 2025 blog posts, and follow along as we continue this exciting journey toward a wilder, more resilient England.
Beyond beavers
It is important to reflect that beaver reintroduction is just part of Natural England’s broader commitment to restoring nature and rebuilding resilient ecosystems across the country. Beavers are a flagship example of the wider species recovery and reintroduction ambition set out in the Environment Plan 2025 - demonstrating how carefully planned, collaborative action can help revive degraded landscapes, boost biodiversity and create healthier, more climate resilient places for people and wildlife alike. And species recovery builds upon a growing network of ambitious landscape-scale nature recovery projects and initiatives, working with partners and communities to restore habitats and ecosystems across the country.
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