Denbighshire Beaver Project

Aims

Denbighshire County Council are dedicated to nature recovery and tackling the climate emergency. We declared a climate change and ecological emergency in 2021, and we are now working to delivery our Climate Change and Ecological Emergency Strategy.

To avert the ecological emergency, we need to create as much habitat as possible to support our wildlife. To achieve this, we are currently creating a new 70-acre Nature Reserve in St. Asaph – where we will release a family of beavers into an enclosure as part of a 5-year Enclosed Beaver Trial.

Beavers are a keystone species that have been shown to change their environment and increase biodiversity. Our overall aim is that these beavers will significantly increase the abundance and variety of wildlife within the nature reserve.

We will work with scientists to monitor the impacts of the beaver family on the various species and habitats within the nature reserve. The project will also have a strong focus on education, allowing people to learn about beavers and see their impact first-hand.

Facts

Beaver Ecology

What is a Beaver?

A beaver is a large mammal, roughly the size of a medium-sized dog, that lives in our rivers, lakes, ponds, and wetlands.

The Eurasian beaver (native to Europe and Asia) is the second largest rodent in the world, weighing up to 30kg! Being semi-aquatic, they spend most of their time in the water but will venture out to feed on the nearby banks – usually going no more than 20m.

They have a thick brown fur coat to keep them warm in the water, webbed feet, and a distinctive flat scaly tale which acts like a rudder when they’re swimming.

Family

They live together in family groups, usually consisting of a breeding pair and their offspring from the previous two years. (Fun fact: Young beavers are called ‘kits’!).

However, families do not mix! Beavers are highly territorial and will fight aggressively with other beavers not from their family group. The average territory is 3km in length along the shoreline. After two years, the kits will usually leave to find their own territory.

Food

Beavers are vegetarians – meaning they only eat plants! They eat plants found growing both in and out of the water, and will often fell trees so they can eat the bark, small branches, and leaves.

Using their large front teeth, they will gnaw into a tree’s trunk, cutting away the wood in a circular pattern. Until what is left of the tree’s trunk is too narrow to support the tree, and it falls over. An adult beaver can fell a tree up to 1m in diameter! Although they prefer saplings.

Fun Fact: Beavers’ front teeth never stop growing! They also contain iron deposits – making them very hard and bright orange!

Home

Beavers are strong diggers and like to live in large underground burrows in the banks of a waterbody. They dig the entrance underwater for safety, then dig up and out so the burrow itself is dry.

Sometimes, if the banks aren’t suitable for digging, a beaver will construct a ‘lodge’ instead. Lodges are above water structures made out of mud and branches, built on the banks or in the water.

Beavers don’t hibernate, so to survive the winter they will create a food cache of submerged woody vegetation next to their main burrow or lodge.

Dams

Beavers prefer living in water that’s at least 60cm deep. The deep water is safer to move through and helps conceal the entrance to their burrow or lodge. So, if the water where they are is too shallow, they build a dam!

These ‘leaky dams’ are made out of mud, sticks, vegetation and felled trees to block the water’s flow. This raises the water level, while still allowing water to leak over and through the dam downstream.

Because of this behaviour, beavers are often called “ecosystem engineers”! They can massively alter their environment, creating large, diverse wetlands!

Bringing Beavers Back

Beavers used to be widespread in Britain, Europe, and Asia before being hunted to near extinction for their fur and meat. In fact, the last beavers in Britain died over 400 years ago! Thankfully a few small populations in Europe survived, and since the 1920’s there have been over 200 successful translocations to over 25 countries.

Beavers first came back to our shores in 2009, when 5 families were released into Knapdale forest in Argyll, Scotland. Since then, there have been several other releases in Scotland and England, both into enclosures and in the wild. Now, there are over 1500 beavers living in the UK – some of which have found their way to Wales!

Beavers are a protected species in both England and Scotland, and the Welsh government supports their managed reintroduction to Wales.

Why do we want Beavers at our Nature Reserve?

Dam Good Environmental Services

Beavers are fantastic creatures that can have a big effect on their environment! Here are some of the environmental services they have to offer:

01

Improve Water Quality

Beaver’s dams are brilliant for improving water quality – acting like big filters!

As water passes slowly through the dam, it filters out nutrients from the water and catches sediment as well – improving water quality downstream.

02

Flood Reduction

These ‘leaky’ dams block the flow of water, raising the water level behind the dam and allowing a smaller amount to flow past than before. This means more water is stored behind the dam for longer.

So, in times of high rainfall, a beaver wetland with multiple dams will hold a lot of that water and slowly release it over hours or days – reducing the risk of flooding downstream.

03

Lessen the Impact of Drought

Because beaver dams store more water on the land, this can be very useful in drought conditions when there’s been low rainfall.

As the dams allow water to leak through slowly, water will continue to flow downstream for a longer time after the rain has stopped.

04

Habitat Creation

Beavers are known as ‘ecosystem engineers’ due to their ability to alter their environment. They can create large, diverse wetlands, which are beneficial to lots of different species!

Because beavers are constantly re-engineering their wetland by building new dams, digging new channels, and felling trees – the wetlands they create are dynamic and offer an abundance of varied habitats and niches.

05

Increase Biodiversity

Multiple studies have shown that beaver wetlands are fantastic for biodiversity! They provide the right conditions for a multitude of different plants and invertebrates. Which in turn, provides an ample food supply for bats, birds, and amphibians.

The increased water coverage is especially helpful for amphibians – providing more habitat and areas to lay eggs.

06

Boost Fish Populations

Beavers are fantastic for fish! They will often construct a series of leaky dams along a river, creating cascading pools – called beavers ponds. Sediment will build up behind these dams, creating ideal habitat for young fish to shelter and grow.

In drought conditions, beaver ponds can be the only part of a river that doesn’t dry up, allowing fish populations to survive the droughts that are becoming more common due to climate change.

How are we going to do it?

Before the project can begin, the site will need to be made suitable for a beaver family. This will involve hydrological works to create new waterbodies and maintain water levels. Next, we will need to create an enclosure out of specialist fencing designed to keep the beavers in!

We will be consulting neighbouring landowners and businesses, both up and downstream from the nature reserve – to make them aware of the project and get their thoughts. As part of this consultation, we will also be engaging students from the local area by visiting schools and delivering Beaver Workshops!

To release beavers, we will need to apply for a license from Natural Resources Wales. An adult beaver can eat up to 2kg of plant material in one day! Before we release beavers onto the nature reserve, we need to make sure they have enough to eat – by planting lots of trees and other plants.

If we are successful in applying for our license, we’ll need to source a pair or family group of beavers from the UK to be translocated! We are aiming to release a family of beavers into the enclosure in Spring or Autumn 2026. After the release, we’ll be carrying out extensive monitoring and research, as well as considerable education and engagement opportunities.

How to get involved!

We will need many beaver-friends going forward! Please get in touch to tell us how much you support the project.

With habitat works still underway, you can get involved by volunteering and joining us for a day of tree planting.
Are you part of an interested school, community group, or organisation? We may be able to come and give a talk on beavers for you.
Do you live in the St. Asaph area? Sign up for our mailing list for regular updates on the project!
Become a beaver volunteer to help us with tasks such as fence checks, species surveys, and checking camera traps.
Sign up now for our waiting list to come along on a beaver safari! (Dates will be organised pending release).

To express your interest in any of the above, please email: beaverproject@denbighshire.gov.uk

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