Beavers are back in Scotland!
Welcome to the official home of the Scottish Beaver Trial. Here you can find all the latest news about the UK's first formal mammal reintroduction and the beaver families living wild in the Heart of Argyll. See how the beavers are settling into their new home in Scotland, plan your visit and discover how you can support this unique conservation project.
Beavers are back for good!
On 24 November 2016, the Scottish Government made the landmark announcement that beavers are to remain in Scotland. For more information, please read the joint press release issued by RZSS and the Scottish Wildlife Trust.
Latest news
NTS Rangers visit KnapdaleWed, 25 Nov 2015Last week 42 Rangers and Managers (and two dogs) from the National Trust for Scotland arrived at Barnluasgan to find out about the Scottish Beaver Trial. Every year they have a conference and chose a different destination in Scotland where the... Read more- Devon?s River Otter beaver updateTue, 03 Nov 2015In late March this year the Devon Wildlife Trust re-released five Eurasian beavers on the River Otter after trapping them for health screenings. This marked the beginning of England’s first wild beaver monitoring project, researching how the re-introduction of the be... Read more
- Official Reports on Scottish BeaversThu, 22 Oct 2015In May 2008, the Scottish Government gave permission to the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland and the Scottish Wildlife Trust for a scientifically monitored, trial reintroduction of Eurasian beavers to Knapdale Forest in mid-Argyll. However, there were some conditions, incl... Read more
Plan your visit
Visit Knapdale Forest in the Heart of Argyll and see the signs of beaver activity. Only a two-hour drive from Glasgow. Click here to plan your trip, or view a list of upcoming events.
Support the Trial
There are various ways you can support the Scottish Beaver Trial, from volunteering to adopting a beaver. Click here to discover how you can help the project today.
The Scottish Beaver Trial is a partnership project between the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, the Scottish Wildlife Trust and host Forestry Commission Scotland to undertake a time-limited, five-year trial reintroduction of Eurasian beavers to Knapdale, Mid-Argyll.
The licence for the Trial was granted by the Scottish Government in May 2008, with the first beavers being released in May 2009. Scottish Natural Heritage co-ordinated the independent scientific monitoring of the trial, reporting progress to the Scottish Government and monitored how the conditions of the licence are being addressed on the ground. The monitoring phase of the trial has now finished. All scientific findings will be presented to the Scottish Government by Scottish Natural Heritage in May 2015 where a decision will be made.
