beaver swimming with its head just above the water
Russell Savory

Could this mean beavers in the Blean?

As the UK government open the door for licenced reintroductions of beavers into the wild and its acknowledgment of the free-living populations in several parts of England, Kent Wildlife Trust congratulate the move and questions if the news means a revival in the population at sites like Blean, near Canterbury.

Today, the Government announced that applications to return beavers into river catchments in England will be accepted. This paves the way for this native species to roam wild in British rivers and lakes once more, helping to create wetlands and increase biodiversity. Natural England has developed a detailed licencing regime and application process to make sure that stakeholders are engaged and landowners are supported.

Only 14% of rivers in the UK are in good ecological condition and beavers are natural ecosystem engineers, retaining as well as releasing water, filtering pollution and creating the conditions for an explosion of wetland and river wildlife. The Government recently committed to spending billions of pounds on hard infrastructure to combat flooding as well as compensating farmers for lost crops due to changing weather patterns. Releasing beavers represents a nature-based solution to many problems our rivers face and are shown to significantly reduce flood peaks.

The return of beavers has been carefully planned over a long period of time. DEFRA ran a public beaver consultation three years ago showing overwhelming support for reintroducing this keystone species; changes to English law made them a native species in October 2022.

Kent Wildlife Trust have been at the forefront of campaigning for the return of beavers and pioneered reintroductions with a licensed release over 20 years ago. In 2002, with Wildwood Trust the conservation charity undertook the UK’s first beaver trail with a small population of the ecosystem engineers released at Kent’s last remaining area of fenland – Ham Fen.

Since then, the organisation has continued to pave the way for others, being the first to employ a co-existence officer and helping to establish the East Kent Beaver Advisory Group, a model for creating a neutral space for landowners, farmers and the community to work together where beaver populations are present.

Now Kent has England’s largest wild population of beavers and their work in helping to combat flooding and enhancing water quality is particular evident in the River Stour.

Director of Conservation for Kent Wildlife Trust Paul Hadaway said, "The government's announcement marks a historic step for conservation, finally allowing licensed beaver releases into our waterways. This victory is the result of tireless advocacy by countless organisations.

“At Ham Fen, we've witnessed firsthand how beavers can transform a dried-out landscape into a thriving wetland, rich in wildlife and vital for flood defence in the face of climate change. But we must go further, restoration needs to happen at scale.

“Kent has the potential to lead the way in creating climate-resilient, biodiverse landscapes, and perhaps one day, we can see beavers return to places like the Blean, where they would undoubtedly enrich the land."