Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust are celebrating as beavers are now officially recognised as a native species in England and a European protected species. 

The new law, which came into force at midnight last night (October 1), is good news for this extraordinary mammal. 

Beavers are key to creating thriving wetland ecosystems – which are critical for climate adaptation – and provide a wealth of benefits for nature and people. 

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. 

Izzie Tween, beaver recovery project officer at Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, said: “We’re delighted that beavers have received European native species protected status.  

“This new legislation gives the beavers already thriving in England recognition as native animals, a status they have held in Scotland since 2019, and will bring their level of protection in England into line with those north of the border.  

“While any unwelcome beaver activity can still be managed under Natural England licencing, this protection will help our small and vulnerable population of this industrious ecosystem engineer to establish and create wetlands to help boost biodiversity and deliver ecosystem services for local communities.” 

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust aspire to release wild beavers on the Isle of Wight as a key part of its vision to support nature’s recovery on the island and create a ‘Wilder Wight’. 

The Trust launched a public consultation in February 2022, mailing a questionnaire to every home on the island asking residents for their views on a potential release of the aquatic mammals in the Eastern Yar valley. 

A total of 4,883 people responded to the consultation with 89% stating they feel positively about beavers being released on the Isle of Wight. 

Following the public consultation, the Trust hopes to submit a licence application – which is needed for any beaver release in the UK – to Natural England.  

Currently, though, Natural England are not accepting licence applications while it works with DEFRA to finalise the national beaver strategy after running their own public consultation last year. 

If the Trust’s eventual licence application is successful, it’s hoped the first beavers could be released on the island by 2024. 

Eurasian beavers are a native species throughout Britain and were once common before relentless hunting for their meat, fur and scent oils drove them to extinction by the 16th century. 

Thankfully, conservation efforts have allowed the species to make a remarkable recovery – wild populations are now thriving in Scotland and several counties in England.