Scotland's Beaver Strategy 2022-2045
The development of Scotland’s Beaver Strategy 2022-2045 involved more than 50 stakeholder organisations, representing one of the most ambitious and forward-looking approaches to managing and conserving a species carried out in Britain.
The strategy will steer wider efforts to identify and actively expand the population to new catchments, alongside appropriate management and mitigation, following the Scottish Government’s change in policy in November 2021 to encourage wider beaver restoration.
It sets out plans to empower and support communities to maximise the environmental and wider benefits of beavers, while minimising negative impacts through effective management and mitigation.
The strategy highlights the need for ongoing research and monitoring of the beaver population and its effects. This will inform and improve management as the population expands, using existing and new techniques and technologies. It will also help identify how people, and ecosystems, can most benefit from the presence of beavers.
The strategy was developed collaboratively under a process designed and facilitated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Conservation Planning Specialist Group (CPSG). NatureScot is making the document available on its website on behalf of the strategy’s Organising Team, the stakeholders and the Scottish Beaver Advisory Group, the governance group established to take this strategy forward.
There are two publications available to download - the main strategy document, and an associated implementation plan.
Published: September 2022
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