Beavers: applying for a licence to release beavers into the wild
Published 28 February 2025
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2025
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/beavers-applying-for-a-licence-to-release-beavers-into-the-wild/beavers-applying-for-a-licence-to-release-beavers-into-the-wild
You need an A69 licence to release beavers into the wild in England.
You can request a form from Natural England to express your interest in getting a licence to release beavers into the wild.
Expressions of interest will be open between 3 March and 2 May 2025.
Express your interest in a licence
Request a form to express your interest
Email wildlife@naturalengland.org.uk to request an expression of interest form.
In your email include the:
- name of your project
- name of your organisation
- counties you’re interested in releasing beavers into
- full river catchments you are interested in releasing beavers into - use the Catchment Data Explorer to identify river catchments
Joined-up partnership expressions of interest are strongly encouraged.
Complete an expression of interest form
Natural England will send you an expression of interest form to complete.
You should read the wild release criteria and policy paper before you complete this form to help you prepare your answers. You should consider the full river catchments you’re proposing to release beavers into.
You’ll need to provide a high-level statement against each of the 9 wild release criteria.
Most answers are limited to 1,500 characters.
Natural England will also send you a copy of the full application pack to help you understand what information would be required at the next stage, if you are invited to apply.
The expression of interest form will help Natural England to assess the strength of your project proposal against the criteria, and whether it is ready for full application. Only the strongest projects will be invited to make a full application. This will help ensure that beaver reintroduction occurs at a measured pace. It also avoids projects, Natural England and other stakeholders investing time on full applications that are unlikely to secure a licence.
Submit your expression of interest form
Send your completed form to Natural England by email to wildlife@naturalengland.org.uk. The deadline for submitting forms is 2 May 2025.
You can also submit your report by post to:
Wildlife Licensing
Natural England
Horizon House
Deanery Road
Bristol
BS1 5AH
Assessing expressions of interest
Natural England will assess your expression of interest form and invite the strongest projects to make a full application.
Assessment of your expression of interest will be based on the wild release criteria and the government’s policy on wild releases.
Successful proposals will include:
- clear environmental benefits
- an overview of how your project will be governed and resourced throughout all affected catchments
- how you will work with local communities and other stakeholders to avoid, manage, or mitigate the risks of negative outcomes
Natural England will seek advice from Environment Agency, and other consultees where relevant, and may contact you for more information about your project.
Following assessment against the criteria, Natural England will decide whether your proposal is:
- invited to proceed to full application and further detailed assessment by Natural England
- potentially viable but not invited to submit a full application at this stage
- unlikely to meet the criteria or substantially missing information
If your project is not invited to proceed to full application at this stage, Natural England will explain why the project is not suitable or may give a summary of how you could improve your proposal.
If your project is invited for full application
You’ll need to complete a full application form and project plan. Natural England will invite you to complete and submit your application. You can get advice from Natural England and the Environment Agency to help develop and refine your application.
Timescales for application and licensing
There will be more opportunities to submit expressions of interest on a regular basis. Opportunities will be advertised here when available. Timings will be planned and communicated to give you plenty of time to prepare.
2025 expressions of interest
3 March 2025: expressions of interest open
2 May 2025: expressions of interest close