{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "bskyPostRef": {
    "cid": "bafyreifrfj2chy6q2pvvyid366pkyvrabtgabqfnql3hcanbigl6z4vo2a",
    "uri": "at://did:plc:oznbnvgr7dmvddiyvr7dih52/app.bsky.feed.post/3meax3fxdplk2"
  },
  "coverImage": {
    "$type": "blob",
    "ref": {
      "$link": "bafkreidah5zrzd3im5gpuaitpoudy5ynvlnfgpvb2m3hqiyeqbftxssemm"
    },
    "mimeType": "image/jpeg",
    "size": 80190
  },
  "path": "/news/beavers-released-two-sites-england-fresh-rewilding-plan",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-07T06:03:17.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "Chester Zoo revives 'extinct' species after handful of specimens discovered in alleyway",
    "Dog walker rescued from tree by firefighters after scrambling to flee angry cow",
    "Florida blighted by frozen IGUANAS as lizards drop from trees after coldest February in a century",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nNatural England has approved two new licences allowing wild beavers to be released at sites across south west England.\n\nThe animals will be introduced at the National Trust’s Holnicote Estate on Exmoor and at a Cornwall Wildlife Trust site in the centre of the county.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe approvals mark only the second and third occasions that beavers have been licensed for wild release since the Government took the landmark decision to allow their return to English rivers.\n\nBeavers are known for dramatically reshaping landscapes by building dams, ponds and channels, creating habitats for other species while also helping to reduce flooding and mitigate drought.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\nThe first officially licensed release took place at Purbeck’s national nature reserve in Dorset in March 2025.\n\nThe species was wiped out in Britain more than 400 years ago after being hunted for fur, meat and scent glands.\n\nIn recent decades, however, beavers have gradually returned through escapes from enclosures and unauthorised releases.\n\nParliament granted the animals legal protection in 2022 after acknowledging their established presence in the wild.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nConservation organisations have also introduced beavers into a growing number of fenced wetlands and river projects across England.\n\nFor years, campaigners pressed for sanctioned wild releases, arguing they would significantly boost biodiversity.\n\nThe Government’s decision to permit reintroductions was seen as a major victory, with the Dorset release becoming the first under the new policy.\n\nNature minister Mary Creagh said the programme was key to the Government’s environmental agenda.\n\n### ANIMALS - READ THE LATEST:\n\n\n\n\n  * Chester Zoo revives 'extinct' species after handful of specimens discovered in alleyway\n  * Dog walker rescued from tree by firefighters after scrambling to flee angry cow\n  * Florida blighted by frozen IGUANAS as lizards drop from trees after coldest February in a century\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n“The return of beavers is a vital part of this Government’s mission to protect and restore nature. I look forward to these projects getting going and more future beaver releases,” she said.\n\nNatural England chief executive Marian Spain stressed the need for careful management.\n\n“The successful return of beavers depends on well-planned, collaborative projects built on engagement and trust, and we are committed to getting it right for both nature and communities,” she said.\n\nBen McCarthy, the National Trust’s head of nature conservation, described the licence as “fantastic news and a major milestone”.\n\nHe said the organisation had seen beavers’ “extraordinary ability” to create wetlands that support wildlife, improve water quality and help regulate water flow.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nNatural England said the releases would be tightly managed to limit impacts on farming and infrastructure, requiring applicants to submit 10-year management plans.\n\nThe agency has identified 32 potential projects that meet its criteria, with 11 already invited to apply.\n\nVicki Hird, the Wildlife Trusts’ strategic lead on agriculture, warned that changes to farming subsidy schemes must continue to support coexistence with beavers.\n\nShe said removing such support would mean “opportunities for nature recovery and the provision of ecosystem services will be missed\".\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards:The GB News Editorial Charter**",
  "title": "Beavers set to be released at two new sites across England as fresh rewilding plan given green light"
}