Beaver FAQs and research

Beavers are nature's water engineers. On small streams and watercourses they can build dams and create dynamic wetlands and their activity can provide the following benefits:

• Reducing impacts of flooding downstream by engineering pools and canals that hold water and release it slowly back into the watercourse
• Creating wetland habitats that increase diversity and abundance of wildlife including amphibians, aquatic insects, water voles and wetland birds
• Increasing biomass of fish in rivers: beaver dams provide space for juvenile fish to shelter and feed
• Improving water quality: beaver dams trap silt and excess nutrients such as nitrate and phosphate. In polluted water courses they act as a large filter and cleaner water flows out of the beaver-created wetland
• Even where beavers don’t build dams they can deliver benefits for nature and society, coppicing bankside trees and encouraging light to reach the river, introducing woody debris and shelter for fish and increasing the dynamism of degraded rivers. They are also a fascinating animal and  encourage wildlife tourism, increasing people’s appreciation for - and engagement with – the natural world

Beavers are a native animal to Britain and would have once been widespread on our waterways. They were hunted to extinction and the last records of them are from around 400 – 500 years ago. Human use of the landscape has changed dramatically while beavers have been absent so it's important to find a way to support the return of beavers whilst mitigating the challenges that can arise in agricultural and urban catchments. In order to maximise the benefits that beavers can bring, it is critical that we support communities to live alongside them once more. 

Management of beaver activity, such as tree felling, damming and canal digging, may be required in some areas such as near significant infrastructure, riverside properties and valuable agricultural and forestry land. 

There are well established methods for managing and mitigating beaver impacts, which have been trialed across Europe, North America and during the River Otter Beaver Trial. As Eurasian beaver are now a protected species in Britain (as they are across much of their European range) management has to follow clear guidelines provided by the government. Information on how to manage beavers as a protected species can be found on the government website.

Beaver management groups operate in most catchments with wild living beavers in England for the purpose of supporting communities with advice and guidance on the management of beaver activity. Further information, resources and contacts for your local beaver management group can be found via www.beavermanagement.org.

Beavers are a native species that was hunted to extinction in Britain.  Although they are now returning, they still exist in small and isolated populations that are still very vulnerable.  Legal measures are now in place in the UK to safeguard these recovering populations. Beavers are also protected across the majority of their range in Europe to support their recovery on the continent. 

Pragmatic management of beaver activity is still possible following clear guidelines by government. A number of low impact activites such as normal land management practice near beaver habitats or protecting trees from beaver foraging do not require a specialist licence. Higher impact activities such as removing a established beaver dam or disturbing a beaver lodge will require a licence. Further information on legal protection and management can be found on the government website.

Beavers are herbivores so do not eat fish. Beavers and fish populations have co-evolved. Species such as Atlantic salmon and trout historically would have been abundance throughout watercourses where beavers were present. An analysis of research across Europe and North America shows that broadly the presence of beavers on streams and rivers is positive for a wide range of fish species, outweighing localised negative impacts. Many coarse fish species are likely to significantly benefit from increased wetlands and new beaver-created ponds.

The story with migratory salmon and trout is more complex, with beaver-created wetlands enhancing rearing habitat, habitat complexity, thermal refuge and increased hydrological conditions. Beaver dams, however, could in some situations present a barrier to the movement of fish. Whilst movement of trout and salmon has been recording widely across Europe, North America and in Great Britain, this is something which we are researching further. Further information on this will be published in 2025 in the form of the Beaver Dam Assessment Methodology - which is a project output from a collective of organizations including Devon Wildlife Trust, Wild Trout Trust, Atlantic Salmon Trust and Westcountry Rivers Trust. For the latest updates please visit: https://beavertrust.org/our-work/beavers-and-fish/ 

Beavers feed on the bark of trees, particularly in winter. In summer they will forage on a wider range of plants. Research from Germany shows most beaver foraging takes place within 10 meters of the watercourse. Beavers typically feed on fast growing species such as willow, poplar, aspen, hazel and birch. These trees readily ‘coppice’. That is when a beaver (or a human for that matter) cuts down the main trunk,  but the tree does not die. The roots remain alive and later in the year or the following spring, new shoots will typically grow vigorously back. This is a natural and important function along our watercourses, allowing open sunny areas to develop which is critical for life in rivers. Trees in all stages of life and death are really important for wildlife, especially along watercourses. Beavers play an essential role in managing riverside trees and creating dynamic, wildlife rich river-corridors. 

Where beavers might impact on trees situated near a waterway where the trees have commercial value (such as orchards) or sentimental value (such as in gardens) action can be taken to protect the tree(s) either by beaver-proof fencing or beaver-repellent 'paint'. Further information on tree protection can be found at www.beavermanagement.org 

For some landowners and farmers, it is possible to access grants to protect commercial tree species and crops. Further details can be found on the government website.

We feel strongly that it is critical that farmers, foresters and landowners are supported where they make space along watercourses, especially where beavers are present. Further details on the work we are doing with landowners and farmers to secure funding can be found on our Making Space for Beavers webpage.

The announcement in 2025 that the government are now welcoming applications to support further reintroduction of beavers into the wild is a significant step in the right direction. Devon Wildlife Trust is exploring options to enhance the genetic diversity of existing populations in the catchments of the River Exe, Tamar and Taw. This will replicate similar work to enhance the mix of unrelated animals that has taken place in the River Otter. 

Following the announcement in 2025 by government, all existing wild living beaver populations are permitted to stay and expand naturally. This is likely to mean in the long-term they will move into new catchments, dispersing along the coast or overland. 

Immense pressure from decades of pollution and habitat loss has driven wildlife into catastrophic decline. It is no longer enough to just protect the wildlife that remains – we need to put nature into recovery by strengthening ecosystems once again.

Beavers are a native keystone species that was hunted to extinction in Britain, but they play a disproportionately important role in our ecosystems, acting as nature’s finest ‘wetland engineers’. Returning beavers to the wild can be a game changer for restoring lost wetlands and benefitting all kinds of wildlife, as we're already seeing in Devon. Beavers also help to reduce the risk of wildfires and flooding which threaten people’s homes. Bringing back wild beavers is a critical part of addressing the climate and nature crises.

A summary of the ecosystem services delivered by beavers can be found here.

If you are interested please get in touch via beavers@devonwildlifetrust.org. It is helpful if you include the following details in your email: 

• Name
• Contact details
• Postcode
• Description of the site and any habitat features (e.g. ponds, wetlands, riverside woodland)
• Size of the site, rough length of watercourse and whether you own by sides of the river 

A member of the beaver team might not be able to visit right away but we will log your details and will be in touch if the site sounds suitable in the future. 

We are familiar with beaver distribution across the River Otter and its tributaries. However, we know less about where they are active in the River Exe, Taw, Torridge and Tamar. If you have seen signs of activity in these areas and you would like any further guidance and information you can contact beavers@devonwildlifetrust.org 

If you haven’t got any further queries then we would still encourage you to submit your record via Beaver Management and Devon Biodiversity Records Centre.

Tracking beaver records over time will be really important for understanding their recovery in Devon. 

Adult beavers in Britain would have once been predated by European wolf, lynx and brown bear. This is still seen across parts of Europe. Whilst adult beavers no longer have natural predators in England, we do still see fatalities every year. DWT take an active role in collecting dead beavers and submitting them to Natural England and Zoological Society London for post-mortem. Death of adults can be due to old age, fighting between beavers over territory and due to flooding and high flows. In addition to this, beaver kits (young beavers) can be predated by species such as red fox, domestic dogs and large otters. 

DWT are in full support of beaver recovery across Great Britain and the expansion of a healthy thriving beaver population will be great for nature and society. Whilst the Devon population is still small, it is a stronghold for beavers in England, representing one of the largest populations in the country. But in England and Scotland, we still have a very small population relative to other European countries.

A practical management hierarchy is in place by the British government to support the recovery of beavers whilst managing specific activities that can cause conflicts with infrastructure, property and farmland. 

We have a small team of long-term volunteers in the beaver team who are essential to our work, supporting management, surveys and site monitoring. If you are interested in volunteering with the team please look out for specific roles or contact us directly via beavers@devonwildlifetrust.org. In your email, please let us know where you are based, whether you can travel, what you are interested in and what time you can commit to supporting the project.