Project Dates: 15.10.2024 to 15.10.2025

Devon is in the unique position of being the only county in England with thriving beaver populations on several rivers. Beaver activities have proved beneficial in combatting England’s freshwater environment challenges and Devon Wildlife Trust is harnessing this on the Tamar. Working closely with landowners, this project provides practical solutions and interventions, finding ways for landowners to benefit from making space for beaver-created wetlands.

The project will build on the success of previous reintroduction efforts, showcasing Devon as a leader in innovative conservation practices and demonstrating how to scale up ecological restoration efforts nationally. The Tamar Beaver Project will work to display and support the role of beavers in ecosystem restoration and inspire widespread support for their role in conservation.

Key deliverables include:

• Identify key opportunity sites where it is possible to maximise the benefits of beavers and harness river restoration benefits.
• Use expert advice to offer quality guidance to stakeholders.
• Advocate with Government to give the River Tamar population the same status as the River Otter, also exploring opportunities for further wild release to reinforce genetics.
• Ongoing monitoring of beaver populations and their ecological impacts, including water quality, biodiversity, and habitat changes utilising knowledge of experienced specialist.

 

Image credits: Devon Wildlife Trust

IMPACT UPDATE NOVEMBER 2025

Project Activities:

• 34 landowners engaged in the project, with beavers spreading throughout the river catchment, positively impacting water quality.
• Institutional engagement and advocacy leading to three public authorities engaged in the project: Devon and Cornwall councils and Tamar Valley National Landscape.
• Six meetings and workshops involving local communities and publicauthorities carried out during the course of the project.
• 101 people attending four beaver awareness events.

 

Project Impacts: 

• Increased awareness of the impact beavers have on water quality through local landowner engagement activites.
• Engagement and advocacy activities implemented by the project team, lead to increased awareness of beavers within local and regional authorities.
• Increased awanress within the local public, with meetings and workshops held by the project team.
• In November 2025 there were an estimated 20-25 beaver territories in the Tamar catchment.As the project has progressed, and as of the end of September 2025, there are an estimatednine confirmed breeding sites, 21 established territories, 13 sites where beavers are presentand two unconfirmed sites. That is a total of 30 confirmed territories and 13 additional siteswhich are likely to develop into territories.