Beavers to be released at two South West sites

Natural England has issued licences for wild Eurasian beaver releases at the National Trust's Holnicote Estate in Exmoor and at a Cornwall Wildlife Trust site, marking the second and third licensed wild releases since the Government allowed beavers to return to the wild.

Beavers are being released at two sites in south‑west England under licences issued by Natural England. One release will take place at the National Trust's Holnicote Estate in Exmoor and the other at a Cornwall Wildlife Trust site. These are the second and third licensed wild releases since the Government decided last year to allow beavers to return to the wild after more than 400 years. The move follows earlier introductions into fenced enclosures and a first licensed wild release in Purbeck, Dorset, in March 2025. Key details: - Natural England has issued licences for releases at Holnicote Estate (Exmoor) and at a Cornwall Wildlife Trust site in central Cornwall. - These releases are the second and third licensed wild reintroductions since the Government permitted beavers to return to the wild. - The first licensed wild release occurred in Purbeck, Dorset, in March 2025. - Natural England requires projects to present 10-year plans before licences are considered and has identified 32 potential projects, with 11 invited to apply. - Officials and conservation groups have reported possible local impacts such as flooding of roads or fields and crop damage, and said releases will be managed to minimise such conflicts. - The redesign of farming incentives was highlighted by conservationists as an important factor for enabling co‑existence between beavers and farming. Summary: The licensed releases continue a phased approach to restoring beavers to English rivers and wetlands and build on earlier enclosure introductions and the Purbeck release. Project planning, community engagement and environmental management are reported as central to each licence application, and several other projects have been identified as potential candidates for future applications.