Beaver - Nick Upton/Cornwall Wildlife Trust
We're bringing beavers back to Wales!
Subscribe to beaver e-newsletterBeavers 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.
Beavers are known as nature's engineers. They make changes to their habitats which create diverse wetlands for other species to thrive.
Eurasian Beaver showing the tail large © Nick Upton/Cornwall Wildlife Trust
Beavers settling into their new home at Cors Dyfi © MWT/Emyr Evans
The young male beaver at Cors Dyfi getting to know his new home © MWT/Emyr Evans
Eurasian Beaver gnawing branch © Greg S. Garrett
Why 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.
Show your support for the Welsh Beaver Project
Cors Dyfi beavers
A family of three Eurasian beavers have been released int an enclosure at our Cors Dyfi Nature Reserve, where they will assist with habitat management on the reserve.
Thank you to everyone who responded to the NRW consultation for the Cors Dyfi beaver enclosure; we are very grateful for all of your support. We are really pleased to have been granted a licence for the release.