Beaver Update: Two new licensed wild release projects, more to follow!

image of beaver on grass

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 …

A new mapping tool to support beaver reintroductions and dispersal across England

Posted by: and , Posted on: - Categories: Biodiversity, Science and evidence, Species re-introductions, Species recovery
A Eurasian Beaver in water

By Heather White - Senior Data Scientist and Daveron Smith - Principal Data Scientist In this blog, we launch the Beaver Considerations Assessment Toolkit (BCAT), a new mapping tool that has been developed by Natural England (NE), in collaboration with …

From fences to freedom: England’s continuing beaver journey

By Stuart Otway, Principal Officer in Natural England’s Complex Cases Team and Delphine Pouget, Principal Officer in Natural England’s Species Recovery & Reintroductions Team In February 2025 Defra published its landmark policy on the wild release and management of beavers …

Beaver wild release: a milestone for nature recovery in England

Beaver entering the water. Credit: Maria Thompson, Natural England

By Stuart Otway, Principal Officer in Natural England’s Complex Cases Unit and Delphine Pouget, Principal Officer in Natural England’s Species Recovery & Reintroductions Team  After centuries of absence, beavers are beginning to reclaim their rightful place in the English landscape. …

Beavers are now legally protected in England – the licensing regime explained

Beaver wetlands slow, store and filter water helping to reduce downstream flooding, improve water quality, increase biodiversity, and resilience to drought and adaptation to climate change. Photo credit: Giles Wagstaff, Natural England

By Stephanie Bird-Halton - Director of National Delivery Protection of beavers and why it’s important On 1 October 2022 the legislation changed to protect wild-living beavers in England. Beavers are now listed in Schedule 2 of the Conservation of Habitats …