Loch Ness Is About to Welcome a New Monster Not Seen There in 500 Years–the Beaver!
NatureScot, Scotland's nature agency, approved a licence for Trees for Life and the Beaver Trust to release up to 15 beaver families at agreed sites in the River Ness catchment over three years.
NatureScot announced on 30 October 2026 that it had approved the release of beavers at agreed sites in the River Ness catchment. The licence was granted to the conservation groups Trees for Life and the Beaver Trust. It allows them to release up to 15 beaver families over three years.
According to NatureScot, the decision will help widen the range of beavers in Scotland, which Scotland's Beaver Strategy 2022-2045 lists as a priority. The application was assessed under the Scottish Code for Conservation Translocations. That code considers site suitability, animal welfare and possible effects on neighboring and community interests. The agency said the assessment found beavers could significantly boost biodiversity in the catchment, and that the landscape faces a low risk of negative effects from beaver activity.
The applicants ran a consultation, and NatureScot said more than 73% of respondents supported the plan. Land and fisheries managers and residents in the catchment did raise some concerns. Robbie Kernahan, the agency's Director for Wildlife Management, said those concerns are taken seriously. He said NatureScot had reviewed the applicants' monitoring and mitigation plans and believed that, together with its existing Beaver Mitigation Scheme, any conflicts that arise can be resolved.
Kernahan said "Beavers can bring many benefits for nature and people." He pointed to the ponds and wetlands they create, which give other species places to thrive, and to their role in moderating water flows during floods and periods of water scarcity.
The nearest beavers to the catchment live at Abriachan and in Strathglass, and at least one is known to be living on the River Oich. NatureScot said that in the short term it is unlikely a genetically diverse population would reach the River Ness catchment from these groups on its own. Beavers for release will be trapped under licence from areas where they are harming prime agricultural land and where mitigation has failed or is not possible. They will receive health screening before release.
Note: The headline refers to Loch Ness and a 500-year absence. The page speaks only of the River Ness catchment and gives no timeline for the beavers' absence. It reports that a release licence was approved, with no release date given.
At a Glance
- NatureScot approved the River Ness catchment beaver release licence on 30 October 2026.
- The licence lets Trees for Life and the Beaver Trust release up to 15 beaver families over three years.
- More than 73% of respondents to the applicants' consultation supported the plan.
- The nearest existing beavers are at Abriachan and in Strathglass, with at least one on the River Oich.
Sources
This brief was written by Brightside Report from the reporting linked above. Spot an error? Request a correction.