Guidance

Recording beavers and data sharing

Published 28 February 2025

Applies to England

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/recording-beavers-and-data-sharing/recording-beavers-and-data-sharing

If you see beaver activity, all data you can gather is useful. This includes recordings of sightings by the public, as well as structured surveys by volunteers and professionals.

By following this guidance and recording in a consistent way, the data becomes transferable and shareable. Your data can contribute to the national monitoring programme and avoid the need for repetition of surveys.

Recording beaver data

You should record all beaver sightings, observations and surveys using an online mapping tool that feeds data into the National Biodiversity Network. Natural England has worked with the Mammal Society to create the free Mammal Mapper app on the Mammal Society website. Alternative beaver mapping tools are being developed or promoted by local Beaver Management Groups, but not all of these currently feed data into the National Biodiversity Network.

If you enter data in the field, Mammal Mapper can use your device’s GPS to accurately record location information. You can also use a standardised form and input to the app or website when you return to a suitable place. We recommend using GPS to identify survey locations.

It is recommended that you add photographs and descriptions to help with verification and data analysis.

The more accurate data you can record, the more useful the records are.

Accessing beaver data

By using the Mammal Mapper app, data is shared with Natural England and can be used by researchers or other organisations to support beaver welfare.

You can access beaver data from Mammal Mapper and other linked tools on the National Biodiversity Network Atlas website.

You’ll be able to see locations with a 2km accuracy. Natural England and partners will be able to use the full accuracy location to monitor beaver distribution and activity.

Planning a survey

If you’re organising a formal survey or monitoring, you should contact your local beaver management group (BMG). You can find a list of groups on the Beaver Management website

They may be able to help you to decide what data you need and prevent duplication of monitoring activity. 

Decide the purpose of the survey

You should have a clear reason for a formal survey. There are several reasons to conduct surveys, including to:

  • support the national beaver data set
  • monitor the location and spread of beavers
  • support management by local landowners
  • support informed local acceptance of beavers
  • evaluate and inform a project’s goals
  • inform a local strategy
  • investigate an area of interest

Decide what data to collect

Make sure the data you collect will suit your purpose, capability and budget.

Decide what you plan to measure. You could gather data about:

  • the distribution of beavers in a catchment
  • how many territories there are present in a catchment
  • how beavers have dispersed
  • beaver use of, and interaction with, habitats
  • beaver interaction with people, structures or protected sites
  • beaver interaction with other species

Consider beaver welfare

You must consider the welfare of the beavers and potential for disturbance caused by any survey. Different survey methods will cause different levels of disturbance. Make sure your survey purpose justifies the disturbance it causes, and consider whether a beaver licence is required from Natural England. You can get advice from your local BMG or contact Natural England at beaverlicence@naturalengland.org.uk

If your survey is part of a larger project, you’ll need to follow the project’s code of conduct for human contact with beavers.

If at any time you’re concerned about beaver welfare, contact your local BMG for support. This could include seeing unusual behaviour or excessive daytime activity. Find out what to do if you find a dead beaver.

What you’ll need

Make sure you’ve agreed legal right of access to the areas you need to get to undertake the survey.

You should consider biosecurity measures and health and safety, especially safe working by water.

Make sure you are working with experienced people to carry out formal surveys.

Where to survey

You can use existing data, such as NBN Atlas to identify approximate beaver locations for your survey. Your local BMG can also help with this.

If there’s no existing data, you can use randomised locations in likely habitats, but this depends on having permissions to access land and resources.

It’s useful to survey catchments with known populations, away from confirmed records to monitor population dispersal and expansion.

When and how to survey

The type of surveying that is suitable depends on the season. For example, you should avoid disturbing beavers during the breeding period, from March to the end of August. During this time there are likely to be pregnant beavers and very young kits. Signs of beavers are much easier to see in seasons when other vegetation is low, such as winter and early spring.

Individual beavers

Survey with cameras, in spring, autumn and winter.

Beaver resting places

Survey in person and with cameras, in spring, autumn and winter.

Field signs

Survey in person between November and February, when vegetation is low.

Signs of conflict and habitat change

Survey in person in winter.

Choosing survey methods

If you can make your survey repeatable this will help with comparing data over time. If this is not possible, one-off surveys still provide useful information.

Consider combining different survey methods to reduce the number of visits and surveys needed, and to limit disturbance.

Field sign surveys

This type of survey looks for:

  • resting places – for example, lodges, burrows and day rests
  • feeding signs – for example, gnawed or felled trees, cut branches and piles of cut woody debris
  • habitat changes made by beavers – for example, dams, canals, beaver runs
  • other signs of use such as scent mounds

You can conduct field sign surveys from the water, bank, or a combination of both.

Suitability and accessibility will depend on the ownership, structure, and size of the watercourse and any tributaries, as well as any obstacles.

Surveys should include a minimum of 2km upstream and downstream of any known beaver signs, ending 2km from the last sign. Surveys should ideally also cover a minimum of 20 metres from each bank of the watercourse. This area is your ‘survey corridor’.

You do not have to survey where the habitat is unsuitable for beavers, for example banks made of metal piles or rock.

Beaver activities to look for

When you carry out field sign surveys, you should record and categorise any signs of beaver activity. Signs of beaver activity include:

  • beaver sightings
  • resting places, including burrows, lodges and day rests
  • construction, such as a dam, canal, or channels
  • tracks and prints
  • scent mounds or markings, such as a single mark or a recent marking of a large, frequently used mound
  • feeding signs, such as cut tree stumps, gnawed trees, cut branches, stripped branches, feeding stations, foraging trails, and grazed areas cropped by beavers
  • food caches, such as stores of cut saplings and branches outside the lodge or burrow, tree or branch cutting and felled trees or saplings

The age of any beaver signs is particularly important as it helps tell the difference between dispersal and occupation. You might find it hard to make these distinctions if you’re a new surveyor, just record whatever you can. You can use photographic guides to some signs from LIFE Beaver and The Mammal Society. 

Camera trapping and observation

Camera trapping involves setting up a camera at a location to automatically trigger when there’s motion. It’s a relatively low effort method, and can be used to establish use of resting places, dams, condition of beavers and potentially family sizes. It can also help with engaging the public and wildlife group members.

You’ll need training or experience to set camera traps up to collect the right information.

For both camera trapping and direct observation methods you’ll need landowner permission, and to understand how to avoid unnecessary disturbance.  

Surveys involving trapping

Surveys that involve trapping beavers are only needed during controlled research, and would need a licence from Natural England. If at any time you’re concerned about beaver welfare, contact your local BMG for support. They will use suitably qualified and licensed people to help.

What to record

Record each sign of beaver activity as a separate survey point.

If you identify more than one sign of activity at a location, record each sign.

For every survey point, include the:

You should also include a photo (numbered and dated), of each major feature, and any other comments or notes.

You should collect your data on the Mammal Mapper app or use a standardised form and input to the app or website when you return to a suitable place.

Survey standards

You can find out more about survey standards and methods in:

Natural England survey reports also include survey standards and methods. These are available on the Access to Evidence website and include the:

Evaluation and analysis

It’s good practice to regularly review why and how beaver activity is monitored. Reviews should consider disturbance and whether methods are appropriate and proportionate.

You can also review whether there’s additional data you were not initially collecting that would be useful. Your local BMG can provide support.

You can analyse your data to identify beaver territories. Beavers are highly territorial, but identifying territories can be difficult because the size and distribution depends on population density and food resource. Initially there might be only a few individual beavers in an area. They can take years to settle into territories. This can make it difficult to identify territories from one survey. There’s a good example in the Tayside area survey on the NatureScot website.

You might find it useful to collaborate with other groups within the river catchment to interpret and evaluate your results. Contact your local BMG to connect with others to interpret your results.

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