Beavers could help tackle Britain’s rising flooding problems, report finds
Evidence to support the reintroduction of beavers in the UK has been growing,
but the issue has become bogged down in politics.
Climate reporter @SeabrookClimate [http://twitter.com/@SeabrookClimate]
Wednesday 12 February 2025 14:00, UK
Beavers can help tackle Britain’s rising flooding problems, according to a
government-sponsored report, as the political debate over whether to reintroduce
them continues.
The review found that boosting natural infrastructure like animal habitats,
forests, sand dunes, and mudflats, can play a “major role” in protecting people
from flooding, by slowing and absorbing the flow of water.
The Environment Agency said it is “mainstreaming” the use of natural protections
against flooding, alongside the use of engineered defences, backed by £25m in
funding.
For the first time its guidance, last updated in 2017, included an assessment of
the role beavers, oyster reefs, and underwater seagrass and kelp can play in
protecting against floods and coastal erosion.
It found the beavers – which engineer the ecosystem through building dams and
channels – can reduce peak flows, increase groundwater storage, trap sediment,
connect up floodplains, support other wildlife and store carbon.
But it says more evidence is needed on the number of dams and how to manage the
semi-aquatic mammals.
They were hunted to extinction in Britain around 400 years ago, but have
recently made a limited comeback
[https://news.sky.com/story/first-beaver-kits-in-400-years-born-in-the-wild-at-cairngorms-national-park-13192672],
through trial schemes, escapes from enclosures, and illegal releases.
Their formal reintroduction has bounced up and down the agenda as ministers and
governments have come and gone.
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The first trial in the UK was hailed a success when it concluded in 2009, and
the animals were allowed to stay put in Argyll, Scotland.
In 2021, Boris Johnson [http://news.sky.com/topic/boris-johnson-5853] as the
prime minister promised to “build back beaver”
[https://news.sky.com/story/conservative-party-conference-pm-takes-aim-at-labour-during-keynote-speech-in-manchester-12427243].
But then-environment secretary Therese Coffey later dropped the issue over
“other priorities”.
Kitty Thompson from the Conservative Environment Network said: “Despite progress
behind the scenes, this unsteady outward attitude towards species
reintroductions has been a shame.”
A licensing system would be a “win” for nature, she said, and for farmers by
providing guidance if the rodents create problems.
The new Labour government, elected last summer on a mandate to protect the
environment, is yet to issue a formal strategy or licences for wild releases,
despite mounting evidence and pressure.
In January, Downing Street blocked such plans because some Labour aides viewed
it as a “Tory Legacy”, The Guardian reported.
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At the time, The Wildlife Trusts called it “extremely frustrating that wild
beaver licences have been blocked”.
Today, a spokesperson for the environment said they are “working closely with
Natural England to review options on species reintroduction, including beavers”.
Six in ten people in the UK back beaver reintroduction, according to polling in
January by More in Common, including voters from all parties.
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Conservation charities have lobbied the government to bring back beavers as soon
as possible. However, fears have been raised about their potential impact on
other species, while farmers have concerns about damage to their land and crops.
Dr Owen Middleton, from conservation consultancy Biodiversify, said: “As the UK
faces increasingly frequent and severe flooding, it’s heartening to see the
government embracing nature-based solutions.”
Flood defences created by beavers are faster and cheaper than human
interventions, he said.
The UK’s climate has been getting wetter in recent decades, especially in
winter, and is expected to get wetter still under climate change, according to
the Met Office, raising the risk of flooding.
The climate and nature crises have renewed interest in natural ways to protect
people and the environment.
The review also found tree-planting, pioneered to help combat climate change by
absorbing carbon dioxide, also tackles flooding by slowing the flow of water,
while saltmarshes and mudflats protect coastal areas from storms.
