Licenced beaver reintroductions allowed

Isabella Tree | Co-founder of Knepp Wilding and author of Wilding

We are absolutely delighted that the UK Government will allow licenced reintroductions of wild beavers into river catchments in England, and we commend them for this decision which follows years of campaigning by nature restoration leaders.

This charismatic native species transforms ecosystems for the better, through coppicing, building dams and digging canals. Their diligent work slows the flow of water and makes landscapes more flood and drought resilient. At Knepp, the activity of our beavers has stimulated dramatic increases in wildlife, attracting herons, kingfishers, great white egrets, ducks, dragonflies, butterflies and more into their enclosure.

Since joining us, Brooke and Banksy have bred twice, producing four kits. And so, this news is particularly timely for our beaver family, as kits need to find their own territories when they reach around two years. We hope this means the fate of their offspring – Buster, Booster, Bach and Bracken – will be one of wild release into a river catchment, rather than the confines of another enclosure.

What happens next is very important: it is key that adequate resources are allocated to the management of beavers to provide reassurance and safeguards to farmers and landowners. And we ask that the licencing procedure is swift and efficient so we can all start to benefit from the landscape improvements beavers will bring.

We look forward to seeing the British countryside once again rich in beaver-created wetlands, vibrant with wildlife, and the beaver celebrated as our greatest ally against flooding and droughts.