Beavers released in Northumberland to help tackle the effects of climate change and boost nature - National Trust

A family of four Eurasian beavers have been released on the National Trust’s Wallington Estate in Northumberland today (Wednesday 12 July) as part of plans to boost wildlife and increase the landscape’s resilience to a changing climate.

Beavers were once a mainstay of British rivers but became extinct in the 16th century due to being hunted for their fur, meat and scent glands. In recent years, they have been reintroduced at a growing number of sites in Britain.

The Wallington Estate is the location for the conservation charity’s third beaver release, following successful introductions on Exmoor in 2020 and the South Downs in 2021. The release is the first to take place in Northumberland, with the animals becoming one of the few beaver populations in northern England.

Two adult beavers and two young have been relocated from wild populations in the River Tay catchment in Scotland and will make their home in a 24-hectare fenced enclosure on a tributary of the River Wansbeck.

Paul Hewitt, Countryside Manager at the National Trust, said: “Much as they did centuries ago, these instinctive animals will engineer the landscape, creating a dynamic system of dams and ponds that, over time, will become a lush wetland, brimming with life. The BBC’s Wild Isles was a powerful reminder of the beauty – and critically, the scarcity – of British wildlife. If we are to make sure those amazing natural spectacles don’t become a thing of the past, we have to create space for wildlife to thrive. Beavers are a fantastic tool to help us do that; where they go, fish, insects, birds and amphibians follow.”

Beavers can also lessen the effects of climate change and extreme weather, both by slowing the speed at which water runs through a catchment, and therefore reducing flood risk, and by creating habitats that hold water in the landscape during times of drought.

Paul continued: “Extreme weather has left its mark on this part of the country in recent years, and as we increasingly face into the effects of climate change, we need to find ways of making this landscape more resilient and benefitting the people who live and work in the area. Along with interventions like increasing tree cover, planting hedgerows, and restoring peatlands, we believe beavers can be part of the solution.”