We are delighted that yesterday the Welsh Government announced its support for the managed reintroduction of the Eurasian beaver in Wales, recognising the species’ crucial role in tackling the biodiversity crisis and building climate resilience.
Thanks to the longstanding work undertaken by Wildlife Trusts Wales and partner organisations, this is another significant boost in the species’ recovery across Britain and a key step to bring Wales in line with many other European countries.
Following last year’s public survey conducted by the University of Exeter – which looked at the perceptions of beavers living wild in Wales and found that 88.70% of the 3,771 Welsh residents who responded supported beavers living wild in Wales, and 83.72% wanted beavers to be given ‘strong legal protection’ – this will be a welcome outcome for many.
While we acknowledge the government’s commitment, we are disappointed to see the Senedd communicate that beavers have ‘the potential to spread disease.’ Multiple comprehensive studies carried out across Britain, including long-term health monitoring of beavers, have found that they do not appear to be significant reservoirs of disease and the risk of introducing significant diseases to humans, domestic animals, or wildlife from captive-bred or wild beavers in Britain is low – a position accepted by DEFRA and The Scottish Government.
Beaver Trust employs strict health screening protocols for any animal that goes through the translocation process as required by the Scottish and English codes for conservation translocations and continues to work with partners to contribute to ongoing disease surveillance across Britain.
Finally, we encourage the government to be more proactive about the return of beavers to Wales by providing clarity on the timelines for when they will be recognised as a native species, granted European Protected Species status, when an appropriate management framework will be published and when a release licensing system will become available.
Beaver Trust looks forward to continuing to support all those working on beaver reintroduction in Wales as they take steps toward the species’ return to the wild. We remain committed to collaborating with the Welsh Government and all stakeholders to ensure the successful reintroduction and management of beavers in Wales, benefiting both biodiversity and local communities.
