Family of beavers released into the wild to help ‘bring back nature’
Beavers have been legally reintroduced to two sites in Somerset as part of an ambitious project to revitalize local river and wetland ecosystems.
The releases, which took place at the National Trust’s Holnicote Estate on Exmoor on Tuesday, included a family group consisting of a mother and her three children, as well as a separate pair of Eurasian beavers.
This marks the second time Natural England has granted the charity a wild release licence, following the first reintroduction at the National Trust’s Purbeck Estate in Dorset earlier in March.
Beavers were first introduced into the enclosures of Holnicote Manor in 2020.
Ben Eardley, project manager for the National Trust, said: “This is incredibly exciting and the latest step in our aim to restore a large part of Somerset countryside and moors to help bring nature back.
“Beavers are extraordinary partners in our work to restore nature at scale.
“Over the last few years we have seen how dams and wetlands transform landscapes, create habitat and help buffer both floods and drought.
“Every couple or family needs their own space.
“They will have the opportunity to develop their own territory throughout the property so they can create wetlands, ponds, build dams and enrich the landscape in ways only beavers can.”
He said beavers play a “vital role” in slowing water runoff, creating and maintaining wetland habitats, reducing erosion and improving water quality.
Although beavers became extinct in Britain more than 400 years ago due to hunting for their hides, meat and glands, they have returned to Britain’s rivers by escaping from fences and being released illegally, and were granted legal protection in 2022.
They were also introduced to many fenced wetland and river areas.
Environmentalists have long called for the licensed return of wildlife to the wider British countryside to boost UK wildlife.
But there were also concerns about impacts such as beavers flooding roads, property and farmland, or targeting crops such as corn and cricket bat willow.
Nature Minister Mary Creagh said: “It has been a privilege to witness the return of beavers to Somerset.
“These extraordinary creatures are great for biodiversity, reducing flood risk and improving water quality in our rivers.
“The return of beavers is a vital part of this Government’s mission to protect and restore nature, and we are working closely with local communities to maximize their benefits.”
Two pairs of beavers were released into the Par and Fowey river catchments by Cornwall Wildlife Trust on Monday.
