Beavers to Holnicote

Beavers have been welcomed as their reintroduction happens on the Holnicote Estate. The beavers will help with natural flood management and improve biodiversity on the estate.

The plan has been approved by Natural England and will see a pair of these amazing mammals released into two fenced areas of woodland at Holnicote on the edge of Exmoor in Somerset.

The beaver reintroduction (which happened in January 2020), is the first made by the National Trust and combines plans to create priority habitat for nature – increases the diversity of species and wildlife in its care.

Beavers were once an important part of the ecosystem but became extinct in the UK in the 16^th Century due to hunting for their fur, meat and scent glands.

Ben Eardley, National Trust Project Manager at Holnicote says: “Our aim is that the beavers become an important part of the ecology at Holnicote, developing natural process and contributing to the health and richness of wildlife in the area. They will be part of our innovative ‘Stage 0’ project, part of the Riverlands work which is about restoring natural process and complexity in parts of the river catchment”. Click here to read more.

Beavers to be reintroduced to Knepp estate – home of the Wilding Project

Approval has just been granted for beavers to be added to the Knepp estate in West Sussex, the former dairy farm that has been rewilded by Charlie Burrell and Isabella Tree.