Beavers

Beavers are herbivores, feedings on a wide range of bark, shoots, leaves and roots, from riparian to aquatic vegetation. 
They coppice and fell trees for food, but also to use for building materials for constructing their dams and lodges. 

Beavers are back in the UK!

Eurasian Beavers were once widely distributed throughout Great Britain, but they went nationally extinct around 400 years ago due to hunting pressures. Over the past few years beaver numbers in the UK have increased and we have seen momentum gaining around returning this native species to British rivers. 

Beavers are now back in UK rivers. There are now populations of wild-living beavers across the UK. There are estimated to be over 2,500–3,000 wild beavers in the UK, with the majority located in Scotland. We have seen licenced reintroductions in both Scotland and England. There are also numerous beaver enclosures across the UK, including the Cornwall Beaver Project, creating benefits from beaver-created wetlands on a local scale.   

At the end of January 2026, after years of hard work, Cornwall Wildlife Trust were granted a wild beaver release licence by Natural England and in February, saw the first fully licensed release in Cornwall! 

Benefits of beavers 

The 2023 State of Nature report shows that one in six species is now at risk of being lost from Great Britain.  We need to act now to support our natural environment and wildlife. Research shows that beaver activities can help to boost biodiversity.  
 
Beavers build dams to increase and maintain the water depth in their territory, which protects them from predation. Their activities lead to the creation of dynamic habitat, including wetlands and standing deadwood, which numerous species benefit from.

Beaver dams provide a host of benefits for not only animals, but for people too. Beaver dams impound water and slowly release it, which helps to be more drought resilient as well as reducing flood risks during periods of heavy rain. Beaver dams and wetlands also filter pollutants and store sediments and organic material, improving water quality and sequestering carbon. 

Biodiversity benefits

• It is widely accepted in research that beavers have an overall positive impact on biodiversity.
• Beaver activities create complex habitats that slow the flow of water and create wetlands. Slowing water flow and the collection of organic material helps to boost populations and diversity of invertebrates. This increases species abundance and is a great food source for bats, birds, and mammals.
• Through coppicing trees beavers create standing deadwood, which provides habitat for all sorts of wildlife, including the rare willow tit.
• Large, deep beaver pools can benefit aquatic and semi-aquatic species, especially amphibians that breed in still and slow-moving water, as well as being good nurseries for breeding fish.

Our story so far

The Wildlife Trusts vision is that beavers should be allowed to return to the wild across the UK and expand their range naturally. 

Cornwall Wildlife Trust are overjoyed to have been granted a wild beaver release licence in the Par and Fowey catchment. The overall project vision is to achieve a self-sustaining and genetically diverse population of beavers in the project area, so we can collectively feel the benefits from this keystone species being back in the landscape, with landowners and communities supported through the transition to living alongside beavers:

• As of February 2026, working in partnership with Beaver Trust, we successfully carried out the first releases at Helman Tor, ensuing beavers were sourced appropriately, health screened and best practice animal welfare conditions were followed.
• We have been working with the Project Steering Group, including members from Environment Agency, Cornwall Council, Westcountry Rivers Trust and more to develop this project.
• Wild beavers are already present in Cornwall, with an established population across the Tamar catchment and a family of beavers presence at Helman Tor.   

More information on our project to bring wild beavers back to Cornwall can be found here. 

Read about our Wild Beaver Appeal