Beaver © Nick Upton / Cornwall Wildlife Trust
Welsh Beaver Project
We're bringing beavers back to Wales!
Beavers will help nature recover in Wales
Beavers are known for their amazing ability to manage wetland habitats, breathing new life into them for the benefit of wildlife and people.
Beavers are known as nature's engineers. They make changes to their habitats which create diverse wetlands for other species to thrive.
Beavers in Wales
The Welsh Beaver Project has been investigating the feasibility of bringing wild beavers back to Wales since 2005. This work is being led by North Wales Wildlife Trust on behalf of all five Wildlife Trusts in Wales as part of our Living Landscapes strategy and we now hope to undertake a managed reintroduction to Wales.
David Parkyn
Beavers in Wales - Survey Results
In Spring 2023, we commissioned an independent survey by the University of Exeter, to investigate the attitudes and perception towards beaver reintroduction in Wales.
The results are now in, and you can read the full survey findings.
Thank you to everyone who took part in the survey.
New education toolkit ...
... available as a FREE digital download for primary schools across Wales
Beaver family © Jeremy Usher Smith
Become a beaver champion
Do you want to keep up to date with all the latest beaver news and ways that you can help? Then subscribe to our beaver e-newsletter ...
European beaver swimming © Chris Robbins
Support our beavers
Donate nowWhy are beavers important?
Beavers were once widespread across the Wales, but due to over hunting by humans for their fur, meat and scent glands they became extinct after the Middle Ages in Wales and by the end of the 16th Century they were extinct from the rest of Britain.
Beavers are very special animals because they play a vital role in enriching biodiversity by restoring and managing river and wetland ecosystems. They are known as a ‘keystone species’ because their activities can benefit a wide range of other animals and plants that live in rivers and wetlands.
Our Plans
Feasibility studies have been undertaken since 2008, most recently for a managed reintroduction of beavers onto the River Dyfi catchment. We are aiming to submit a licence application to Natural Resources Wales (NRW) in 2023 for the release of beavers to the catchment. We have established a Beaver Management Network as part of our proposals and this includes setting up a network of beaver volunteers who will be on-hand to deal with any problems caused by beavers so that we can all enjoy the benefits that beavers bring.
In due course there will be a public consultation led by NRW for people to have their say and hopefully beavers will be back in the Welsh landscape once again. We will keep you updated!
We also assisted Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust with their beaver project at their Cors Dyfi nature reserve.
Want to know more?
Beavers are amazing creatures, we've got loads of information that we'd love to share with you... Facts about beavers, case studies and reports.
Download The Wildlife Trusts' 'Beaver Vision for England & Wales'
Download Feasibility Report (full version)
Download Feasibility Report (Summary_English)
Economic impacts of the beaver by WildCru
Cors Dyfi female beaver emerging at waters edge © Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust
Cors Dyfi Beaver Family
The beaver family at Cors Dyfi Nature Reserve with Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust are now a family of four!
In Spring 2021 the beaver family (Barti the father, Bedw the mother and Byrti the son) first arrived in their new home: a large enclosure within the Cors Dyfi nature reserve, where they have an important role to play in helping to manage the habitat on the reserve.
They have settled well into their new home and this year they have successfully bred with the arrival of the first beaver kit to be born in the enclosure.
See what our beavers at Cors Dyfi have been up to!
The Wildlife Trusts play a very important part in protecting our natural heritage. I would encourage anyone who cares about wildlife to join them.
Become a member of your local Wildlife Trust
Beaver release at Cors Dyfi Nature Reserve by Iolo Williams © Emyr Evans Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust
Beaver family © Jeremy Usher Smith
Beaver in vegetation by David Parkyn @cornwall wildlife trust
Beaver release at Cors Dyfi Nature Reserve by Iolo Williams © Emyr Evans Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust
Beaver © Nick Upton/Cornwall Wildlife Trust
Webbed beaver paw
Beaver lodge © D J Halley
European beaver scratching © Chris Robbins
European beaver swimming © Chris Robbins
The Nature Networks Fund (round two) is being delivered by the Heritage Fund, on behalf of the Welsh Government and in partnership with Natural Resources Wales.