Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Beavers are now protected in Wales! 🦫
Last year, the Deputy First Minister announced that the Welsh Government was to officially recognise beavers as a native species and grant them European Protected Species status in Wales. The new legislation comes into force today, marking a major milestone for restoring beavers to the Welsh landscape.
A 2023 University of Exeter survey found that public support for this move is strong, with 88.7% of people in Wales supporting wild beavers and 83.7% backing strong legal protection, indicating this will be warmly welcomed by a large proportion of Welsh residents.
Through the Welsh Beaver Project, the Wildlife Trusts in Wales have been working for 20 years to restore wild beavers to the Welsh landscape. This legislation now aligns Wales with the protected status of beavers in both Scotland (2019) and England (2022).
We hope this marks the first step towards the wider restoration of beavers in Wales, and that strengthened protection is swiftly followed by a clear management framework, wild release licensing system and national beaver strategy.
We look forward to working with the Welsh Government and partners to deliver proactive restoration of the Eurasian beaver, supporting nature recovery and building climate resilience across the country.
#beavers #wales #nature
Beavers are now protected in Wales! 🦫
Last year, the Deputy First Minister announced that the Welsh Government was to officially recognise beavers as a native species and grant them European Protected Species status in Wales. The new legislation comes into force today, marking a major milestone for restoring beavers to the Welsh landscape.
A 2023 University of Exeter survey found that public support for this move is strong, with 88.7% of people in Wales supporting wild beavers and 83.7% backing strong legal protection, indicating this will be warmly welcomed by a large proportion of Welsh residents.
Through the Welsh Beaver Project, the Wildlife Trusts in Wales have been working for 20 years to restore wild beavers to the Welsh landscape. This legislation now aligns Wales with the protected status of beavers in both Scotland (2019) and England (2022).
We hope this marks the first step towards the wider restoration of beavers in Wales, and that strengthened protection is swiftly followed by a clear management framework, wild release licensing system and national beaver strategy.
We look forward to working with the Welsh Government and partners to deliver proactive restoration of the Eurasian beaver, supporting nature recovery and building climate resilience across the country.
#beavers #wales #nature
