Beavers to be released in bid to 'restore nature'
PA MediaBeavers are set to be released at two south west sites in efforts to reintroduce the species into the wild.
Natural England said it had issued a pair of licences to release the animals at the National Trust's Holnicote Estate in Exmoor, Somerset, and an unspecified site in Cornwall chosen by the Cornwall Wildlife Trust.
The licences are the first to be issued since the government's decision to allow beavers to be reintroduced last year when the animals were released at Little Sea lake in Purbeck, Dorset.
Nature minister Mary Creagh said the return of beavers was a vital part of the government's "mission to protect and restore nature".
Beavers became extinct from the wild in England more than 400 years ago due to hunting for their pelts, meat and glands.
However, the animals - which were given legal protection in 2022 - made their way back into England's rivers through escapes from enclosures and illegal releases.
Conservationists had called for a licensed wild returns to the English countryside as beavers engineer dams, ponds and channels which can boost other wildlife and help counter flooding and drought.
But concerns had been raised about impacts including beavers flooding roads or targeting crops such as maize and cricket bat willow.
PA MediaNatural England said their return was being carefully managed to minimise any potential conflict with farming, food production and infrastructure.
It has identified 32 projects with potential to meet the beaver wild release criteria, and 11 have already been invited to apply.
Marian Spain, chief executive of Natural England, added: "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."
