Beaver FAQs

A survey completed by Natural England in 2022 estimated there were around 13 beaver territories on the Avon and Somerset Frome catchment.  Given natural breeding cycles, it is likely this has expanded since then.  There are also free-living beaver populations on the Brue, Tone and Somerset West Streams catchments, with enclosed populations at National Trust Holnicote. 

Until February 2025, it was only possible to legally release beavers into enclosures (under licence) and not into free-living (wild) populations.  Therefore, the wild beavers in Somerset before 2025 are all likely to have arrived either as a result of natural dispersal from other free-living populations, escape from enclosures or, possibly, unofficial releases.  

On 28 February 2025, Natural England received permission from the UK government to start accepting licence applications for wild release of beavers (not into enclosures) in catchments across England. All applications will be carefully assessed according to international and national translocation guidelines, which include consideration of ecological, social and economic opportunities and impacts. Projects must demonstrate they will have clear benefits that outweigh any potential challenges, and that any potential challenges can be avoided, mitigated or managed.  For more information see here.

Our first objective should always be to find a way to make space for, and co-exist with, beavers.  However, if that is not possible, there are approved and effective actions that can be undertaken to mitigate the impacts of beaver activity.  Some of these can be done without a license, although others will need to be carried out by a trained license holder.  For more details about the various mitigation options and the Class Licence system, please see the government’s website.   

Although there is a lot of coverage in the media about beaver translocations, the population in Great Britain is still small and fragmented.  We cannot predict how quickly their population will increase in Somerset or how many beavers Somerset as a county will be able to sustain.  That said, evidence from beaver recovery projects in other countries demonstrates that populations remain fairly small and slow-growing for the first 5 years, before entering a rapid growth phase.  It is during this population building phase that we would expect to see most dispersal as juvenile beavers move into vacant territories and form their own breeding pairs.  Once the number of vacant ecologically suitable territories reduces and competition for other resources increases, normally after about 10 years, the population size will naturally stabilise.  Beavers are highly territorial so once this ‘maintenance’ phase is reached, we would expect to see less dispersal as juvenile animals choose to stay settled with their families in established territories rather than risk crossing the territory of another beaver family.  As there is only ever one breeding female in a family unit, this will also control population growth.   

Further, beavers do have natural predators in Britain, principally foxes, domestic dogs, birds of prey and pike. Otters will also predate on kits (young beavers) but there is not believed to be any risk to adult beavers.  This is another form of natural, self-regulating population control. 

However, while population size is clearly an important metric, it is also really important that we look beyond that to their impact and view each situation in context; the presence of one beaver family can present challenges in some locations, while, in other places, we are successfully co-existing with relatively high population densities of beavers.  As such, there is no “target” or “ideal” number of beavers for Somerset and we should be looking to facilitate co-existence in a way that is lawful and relevant to the situation.  

It is possible to translocate beavers where there are serious concerns about risk to property or livelihoods.  However, trapping, moving and releasing beavers can only be done under licence by a trained professional and only after it has been demonstrated that lower level mitigation options have been either deemed or proved to be inappropriate first.  While beavers might be “new” and unusual to us in England now, other countries have relearnt how to live alongside beavers.  Reports from those other areas recommend that mitigating the impact of their activity or, better still, finding ways to make space for beavers, is actually a more effective long-term solution than translocation.  If you have any concerns, please get in touch with Natural England’s beaver team, your local Beaver Advisory Group or the Beaver Trust who can advise further.

Beavers are often referred to as 'ecosystem engineers', which means the impact of their activities is disproportionate relative to their biomass, and ‘keystone species, which means their activity is crucial to the healthy functioning of resilient, self-regulating ecosystems.   This isn't just about the reintroduction of a species; it's about restoring a healthier and more resilient natural world to help us as we face the interlinked biodiversity and climate crises. If we let them, they will: 

• create diverse and dynamic wetlands that can bring enormous benefits to other species, including protected species like water voles, and other wetland specialists like birds, invertebrates, and breeding fish 

• “slow the flow” of water to help to reduce downstream flooding and increase water availability during drought periods 

• act as a protective barrier against wildfires 

• filter water to reduce the amount of sediment and chemicals downstream. 

As a charismatic species, beavers can act as a flagship species for other nature recovery projects, and reengage people with nature. 

There are also numerous agri-environment payments available to land managers who make space for beavers and the impact of their activities.  For more details see the RPA’s grant finder. 

 We received some reports of beaver activity around the Avalon Marshes nature reserves in  2024.  In December 2024, this was confirmed by camera trap footage deployed by a member of staff from the Somerset Wetlands NNR. While the camera only shows two beavers, it is possible that there are more beavers, or other territories nearby. There have not been any reports of significant damage or incidences. We are happy to speak with anyone in the area who has concerns. 

If beavers are released as part of a formal, licensed translocation project, then the organisation leading the project carries a level of responsibility until the project is ended.  However, the Somerset beavers did not arrive through this route.  Instead, they need to be considered in the same way as other native, wild animals that do not belong to anyone and that we all have a responsibility to protect.  This is further reinforced by them being a legally protected species, making it an offence for anyone to deliberately capture, injure, kill or disturb a beaver, or damage and destroy their breeding sites or resting places without the relevant wildlife management license.

Enjoy the experience!  In terms of more practical actions, there is no requirement or need for you to do anything, just remember not to disturb them as they are legally protected.  It would be very helpful if you could record your sighting as you would with any other wildlife sighting (e.g. through SERC.com or an app like MammalMapper): as highlighted in the 2023 State of Nature Report, lack of data (on a wide variety of species, not just beavers) is a challenge, so you would really be helping us get a better understanding of what wildlife we are living alongside here.  That can then be used to evaluate the impact of our collective nature restoration activities and inform future management approaches. 

We had an amazing input from professionals and public alike during the engagement events, surveys and 1:1s we did in 2024.  Analysing the feedback, it felt more appropriate to reframe the “strategy” as “guidance and recommendations”. That change allowed us to better reflect the legal frameworks that already exist, that people working with or around beavers are obliged to follow, and that this document could guide them towards (the “guidance”). However, there are still gaps in policies and funding mechanisms in England that need addressing that we in Somerset could advocate for and provide support to our regional and national colleagues to achieve. There were also some suggested actions that could be taken in Somerset to affect positive change for beaver recovery locally and support local communities.  Those are outlined in the “recommendations” section. 

Read the document