Eurasian beaver
Source: gov.uk (2025-10-30)

Learn about the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) and its impact on treescapes. Find out how to manage beavers in the wider environment, control access to individual trees, and managing the trees themselves

Area and status

Area

Eurasian beavers were once common across England, Scotland and Wales, but became extinct due to overhunting – disappearing from England and Wales by the 14th century, and in Scotland by the 16th century.

In recent years, wild populations have been re-established through both unofficial releases and managed reintroduction trials. The largest population is in Tayside, Scotland, with smaller populations in England, in Dorset, Devon, Kent, and Bristol Avon. There are also isolated records in Northern Ireland and Wales, as shown by the National Biodiversity Network (https://species.nbnatlas.org/species/NBNSYS0000005107).

Status

The Eurasian beaver is listed as ‘endangered’ on the UK Red List of Mammal Species (https://static1.squarespace.com/static/654a3265fcbd755384b0552f/t/655c9bfee98bfc546f62b429/1700568063223/MS_RL20_Britain.pdf). It has protected status as follows:

England: protected since 2022, under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2017/1012/contents), with government commitment to reintroducing Eurasian beavers into the wild (https://naturalengland.blog.gov.uk/2025/02/28/beaver-wild-release-a-milestone-for-nature-recovery-in-england/).

Associated treescapes

Most common in riparian and wet woodland (https://woodlandwildlifetoolkit.sylva.org.uk/advice-types-broadleaf). Eurasian beavers are territorial animals and require suitable woodland or scrub within 50 metres of freshwater, along with approximately 2 kilometres of woodland for every 4 kilometres of riverbank.

Ecosystem services and impacts on biodiversity

Eurasian beavers act as ecosystem engineers:
- their dams create diverse habitats like ponds and wetlands that help to store water
- they improve natural downstream flood management and enhance water quality
- their browsing creates natural coppicing that can improve woodland habitat quality
- they increase vegetation structural diversity, which supports other species
Excessive selective browsing can negatively impact tree diversity.

Identification and assessment of damage and risk to trees

The tree species most susceptible to Eurasian beaver damage include:
- aspen
- willow
- ash
- hazel
Damage is typically limited to:
- trees less than 10 centimetres in diameter
- trees within 10 meters of water
Beavers generally avoid conifers but may browse conifer saplings during late winter or early spring in areas with low cover of broadleaved trees. This can cause ring barking.

Damage can be identified by:
- distinctive large incisor marks on trees
- felled trees have a ‘pencil end’ (large trees) or ‘whistle end’ (smaller stems)
- wood chippings often round around the gnawed stems
High deer populations can worsen Eurasian beaver impacts by preventing regrowth and regeneration. Dam building may flood woodlands, killing some tree species within the floodplain and posing challenges for commercial forestry. However, a more significant concern is the flooding that can occur due to their burrowing activity, which can destabilise flood banks.

Managing beavers in the landscape

Occasional use

Non-lethal control: translocation (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/protecting-trees-from-mammal-damage-technical-guidance/managing-mammals-in-the-landscape#translocation)

Mitigating flood risk (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/protecting-trees-from-mammal-damage-technical-guidance/managing-mammals-in-the-landscape#mitigate-flood-risk) (anti-burrow barriers, dam modification or removal, realignment of flood barriers)

In trial or development

Immunocontraception (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/protecting-trees-from-mammal-damage-technical-guidance/managing-mammals-in-the-landscape#immunocontraception)

Modifying beaver access to trees

Widespread use

Physical exclusion from an area: fencing (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/protecting-trees-from-mammal-damage-technical-guidance/modifying-mammal-access-to-trees#exclusion-from-an-area)

Physical exclusion from an individual tree or shoot: tree shelters, spirals, guards, and tubes (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/protecting-trees-from-mammal-damage-technical-guidance/modifying-mammal-access-to-trees#tree-shelters)

Occasional use

Physical exclusion from an individual tree: canvas sacking (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/protecting-trees-from-mammal-damage-technical-guidance/modifying-mammal-access-to-trees#canvas)

Sensory deterrents: flashing lights (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/protecting-trees-from-mammal-damage-technical-guidance/modifying-mammal-access-to-trees#flashing)

Managing trees in the landscape

Widespread use

Adapting planting pattern and choice: riparian buffer zones (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/protecting-trees-from-mammal-damage-technical-guidance/managing-trees-in-the-landscape#riparian)

Occasional use

Adapting harvesting and felling regimes: felling of ring barked trees (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/protecting-trees-from-mammal-damage-technical-guidance/managing-trees-in-the-landscape#felling-ring-barked)

Adapting planting pattern and choice: clump or sacrificial planting (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/protecting-trees-from-mammal-damage-technical-guidance/managing-trees-in-the-landscape#clump)

Additional information, guidance and resources

NatureScot

Read information about the Scottish Beaver Trial (https://livenapierac.sharepoint.com/sites/TreesProtectionProject/Shared%20Documents/General/WORK%20PACKAGE%202%20-%20TECHNICAL%20GUIDANCE%20DOCUMENT/More%20information%20about%20wild%20boar%20in%20the%20Forest%20of%20Dean%20from%20Forestry%20England).

Learn how to create woodlands that are resilient in the presence of Eurasian beaver (https://www.nature.scot/doc/naturescot-research-report-1368-how-create-woodlands-are-resilient-presence-beaver-castor-fiber#1-2-managing-herbivore-impacts).

Devon Wildlife Trust

Read research from the enclosed beaver trial in Devon (https://www.devonwildlifetrust.org/beavers-enclosures).

Forestry England

Read the report on the reintroduction of Eurasian beavers to English woodlands (https://www.forestryengland.uk/blog/how-beavers-are-returning-englands-forests).

Re-establishing historic ecosystem links through targeted species reintroductions

Learn how findings show increased bat activity in habitats modified by Eurasian beavers compared to control sites in England and Wales (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969724058170).

Beaver Management Group

Get support and advice for landowners living alongside Eurasian beavers in England, Scotland, and Wales (https://beavermanagement.org/).

The Eurasian Beaver Handbook

Get the comprehensive guide to Eurasian beaver ecology, their impacts, and effective mitigation strategies (https://pelagicpublishing.com/products/eurasian-beaver-handbook).

Defra and Natural England

Find out how to manage Eurasian beaver activities in England (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/beavers-managing-beaver-activities-in-england#:~:text=Managing%20beaver%20activities%20%E2%80%93%20a%205%2Dstep%20approach,-When%20you%20need&text=Make%20space%20for%20beavers.,actions%20that%20require%20a%20licence).