Beavers reintroduced near Loch Ness after about 500 years
· BehindLines newsroom
A family of six beavers was released on 4 November in the Highlands, around Loch Ness, where the species had been absent for about five centuries. This is reported by Discover Wildlife magazine on 6 November and by the project itself on the website of the charity Trees for Life.
A first step
The animals were let go in a small lake (lochan) on the Dundreggan estate in Glenmoriston, which Trees for Life manages as a 10,000-acre ecological restoration site. It is the first release of the Ness Beaver Project, run with the organisation Beaver Trust. According to both sources, the project plans to introduce at least 15 beaver families, across lochs, lochans and rivers in the Loch Ness area during the next three years. Trees for Life speaks of up to ten sites, among them plots run by Forestry and Land Scotland. The promoters hope the populations will eventually link up.
A recent licence
According to Trees for Life, the public body NatureScot issued the licence in late October, after an application filed with Beaver Trust in June 2026. Discover Wildlife adds that Robbie Kernahan of NatureScot acknowledges that land managers and residents raised concerns during the consultation. The charity says it held local discussions, notably between Fort Augustus and Lochend, and published a report on those exchanges.
In 2022 NatureScot identified the Loch Ness area as one of the most suitable catchments in the country, with wetlands and over 3,000 hectares of woodland that suits the species, and a risk of negative effects judged low. Trees for Life also mentions a Scottish chronicle from 1526 referring to beavers near the loch. The initiative fits within the National Beaver Strategy 2022-2045, which aims to expand the species in appropriate areas, after the trial run at Knapdale from 2009.
What is expected
Roisin Campbell-Palmer of Beaver Trust says large woodlands and fitting habitat offer the animals real opportunities to thrive. Supporters of the project argue that beavers can make water cleaner, ease flooding downstream and benefit biodiversity. Funding comes notably from Rewilding Europe's European Wildlife Comeback Fund, the Fred Foundation, the Rewilding Innovation Fund, the Forest Peace Foundation and Wilderness Scotland. The real effects on waterways and on local residents will only be judged in the years ahead.