Defra has announced new legislation that will provide legal protections for beavers in England and could pave the way for the animals to be released into the wild under licence.
The Wildlife Trusts welcome the protections for “nature’s engineers”, calling for sensible management guidance and incentives for landowners to make space for beavers on their land.
Beavers are key to creating thriving wetland ecosystems – which are critical for climate adaptation –and provide a wealth of benefits for nature and people.
Government had promised the legislation would be laid in parliament on Tuesday 19th July but pulled the plug at the eleventh hour, causing uproar among nature charities and the wider public.
The change in legal status will make it an offence to deliberately capture, kill, disturb, or injure beavers, or damage their breeding sites or resting places – without holding the appropriate license. The legislation is scheduled to come into force in the autumn.
In parallel, Natural England is developing guidance on the management of beavers, setting out which actions will or will not require a licence, and where people can go for advice.
Beavers were the first native extinct mammal to be reintroduced to the British Isles since being hunted to extinction over 400 years ago. Beavers have gone from strength to strength with many enclosed and wild populations across the UK.
In 2001 Kent Wildlife Trust, in partnership with Wildwood Trust, pioneered a project in which beavers were released into an enclosed habitat in Ham Fem, Sandwich to see how they would change and enhance the landscape without intervention from humans.
Since their arrival, the habitat has been greatly improved by these ‘eco-system engineers’ harvesting the plants, raising water levels and increasing water quality through the filtering effect of their dams, while enriching the wetland habitat for other endangered species, including Water Volesand wetland birds.
Paul Hadaway, Director of Conservation, Kent Wildlife Trust said: “I am relieved that, after the delay, this has now been put before parliament and this positive development is testament to what can be achieved when we voice our concerns in unison.
“It is vital we have a clear legal framework if beaver populations are to recover and thrive. We need to embrace natural climate solutions now if we are to meet the challenge of the climate and nature crises.
“In Kent we have established the East Kent Beaver Advisory group bringing together government agencies, farmers, anglers and others to understand the role of beavers in our landscape, monitor them and their impacts.
“This is a step in the right direction, yet there is still more work to be done.”