Freedom of Information Request - Beaver Costs
Date: 18 December 2025
Our ref: SIR182611/A5637390
Information Request – Beaver Costs
Your Request
‘Through the FOI I was wondering if you could possibly send me the details on how much money SNH/NatureScot has spent on beaver control, whether this is live trapping, culling, assessments, relocation and including damages paid out to farmers for example in the Tayside region for the repairs of flood defences/river banks because of damage by beavers since 2009?’
Our Response
We do not hold collated details of any beaver related costings prior to 2019 when the beaver became a European Protected Species. The Tayside Beaver Study (2012-2015) was funded by the Scottish Government.
NatureScot does not pay for the lethal control of beavers or for damages caused by beavers. NatureScot can however, issue licences to land managers which can include lethal control for the prevention of serious damage to agriculture. We have published details of beaver licensing since beavers became a protected species in 2019. These are provided below:
Beaver Management Report 2023/24
Beaver Management Report 2024/25
NatureScot funds a mitigation scheme which covers the provision of advice and some practical assistance to land managers experiencing negative impacts from beavers. Our direct spend on Beaver advice and mitigation has been as follows. These figures do not include staff costs which have varied over the period from 1.7 FTE staff to 4.5 FTE and is currently 3.3 FTE. We do not undertake work recording so it is not possible to determine the specific staff costs for advice and mitigation over this period.
Table 1 - Operating Costs for Advice and Mitigation by Financial Year
| Financial Year | 2019/20 | 2020/21* | 2021/22 | 2022/23** | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating costs (£) | 72,000 | 36,800 | 91,500 | 160,000 | 100,000 | 63,000 |
*COVID related restrictions limiting our ability to visit and carry out works in 2020.
** 2022/23 figures included a pilot project with Scottish Government CIV-tec using novel survey methods for burrow detection.
Since 2022 NatureScot has also supported the cost of trapping and translocation of beavers within Scotland, with costs as follows.
Table 2 - Operating Costs for Trapping/ Translocation by Financial Year
| Financial Year | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating costs (£) | 30,000 | 87,500 | 100,000 |
How We Handled Your Request
We believe you have asked for environmental information as defined in the Environmental Information (Scotland Regulations 2004 (‘the EIRs’), so we are dealing with your request under those regulations. To be able to use the EIRs, we must apply an exemption under section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (‘FOISA’). The Scottish Information Commissioner’s guidance recommends that public authorities apply this exemption to environmental information and handle request under the EIRs.
If you would like to find out more about the access to information legislation, there is a guidance booklet available on the Scottish Information Commissioner’s website.
Review and Appeal
I hope this information meets your requirements, but if you are dissatisfied with how we have responded to your information request, please write to us within 40 working days explaining your concerns. You can contact us at Battleby, Redgorton, Perth, PH1 3EW or email us at [email protected]. We will carry out a review of our response and contact you with our findings within 20 working days.
If you are not satisfied following this, you can make an appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner within 6 months. The Scottish Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
Scottish Information Commissioner
Kinburn Castle
Doubledykes Road
St Andrews
Fife
KY16 9DS
Telephone: 01334 464610
Yours sincerely
FOI Officer,
NatureScot
