Beavers to be reintroduced in Nottinghamshire for first time in 400 years

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Wildlife campaigners in Nottinghamshire are one step closer to bringing beavers back to the county for the first time in 400 years.

Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust has expressed its delight at receiving the official licence for its planned enclosed beaver reintroduction scheme.

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The licence, issued by Natural England, means that the trust is on course to bring beavers back to Nottinghamshire this September, at the special enclosure at the Idle Valley Nature Reserve off North Road, Retford.

Speaking about the milestone, the trust’s head of nature recovery Janice Bradley, said: “We’re delighted that our licence application has been approved, as this means we can continue with our preparations on site, including ongoing survey work to record the flora and fauna currently present in the new beaver zone and the construction of the fencing that is required to keep the beavers safe.”

Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust is one step closer to bringing beavers back to the county for the first time in 400 years.Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust is one step closer to bringing beavers back to the county for the first time in 400 years.
Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust is one step closer to bringing beavers back to the county for the first time in 400 years.

This year has been billed as a record year for beaver reintroductions in the UK, with the East Midlands leading the charge.

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Both Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Wildlife Trusts are making final preparations to reintroduce beavers to their respective counties for the first time in more than 400 years, thanks to funding from Severn Trent’s Great Big Nature Boost and public donations.

Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust plans to reintroduce two beaver pairs and any dependent kits into a huge (55ha) enclosure at the Idle Valley Nature Reserve, to harness the power of natural processes to transform what is already one of the best inland nature-watching places in the region.

Over the border, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust is preparing to release two beaver families and their kits into a 40-hectare enclosed area of Willington Wetlands reserve in the Trent valley.

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Now that both wildlife trusts have received their licence approvals the beavers could arrive as early as September.

Janice added: “Securing permission to release beavers is a complex process and the fact that our licence has been approved relatively quickly is a testament to hard work of all the team involved.”