Beavers released into Highlands in a moment of ‘wildlife history’

Beaver eating Sycamore. Photo: NatureScot

Beavers have been released into a Highland glen, marking a moment of “wildlife history” for the species. It comes after NatureScot granted a licence in August for the release of four family groups of beavers to the waters above Beinn a Mheadhoin dam in the Glen Affric national nature reserve (NNR) in the north-west Highlands. The first two releases, of a beaver pair and then a family of five, took place on October 24.

First Beaver release in Glen Affric. Photo: Beaver Trust

Beavers were driven to extinction in Scotland some 400 years ago but an initial reintroduction trial of beavers at Knapdale in Argyll began in 2009 and they have since been released elsewhere. The release in Glen Affric follows three phases of extensive consultations with local communities and land managers.

Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS), which manages the 17,604-hectare NNR, has been working in partnership with Trees for Life on the initiative since 2022, supported by Beaver Trust.

Steve Micklewright, Trees for Life’s chief executive, said: “As we saw the beavers released into the loch, we were watching a moment of wildlife history – offering hope for tackling the nature and climate emergencies, and a better future for biodiversity and people.

“We’re proud to have worked with FLS on this community-focused initiative. They have undertaken vital habitat restoration work in Glen Affric over many years and shown real leadership in nature restoration by reintroducing this important habitat-creating, biodiversity-boosting, flood-preventing animal.”

The Scottish Government announced in 2016 that beavers would be allowed to remain in Scotland and in 2019 they were recognised as a protected species. Before being released in Glen Affric, the beavers were housed at a specialised beaver holding and quarantine facility at Five Sisters Zoo for health checks.

FLS north region manager Alex Mcleod said: “Beavers being translocated to Glen Affric is the culmination of a long, exacting and thorough process for FLS and Trees for Life.

“Fully engaging with the local Affric communities, including through a detailed consultation process, has been crucial in making sure that all voices were heard.

“This high degree of local consultation has helped put in place processes to discuss any necessary mitigation and to address concerns raised by those not in favour of beaver introductions.

“We are establishing a group to oversee ongoing monitoring to inform management decisions in the months and years to come, and I would hope that the beavers eventually become an integral and unremarked part of Glen Affric.”

Experts said that beavers create wetlands that benefit other wildlife, purify water and reduce flooding. While the animals can sometimes create localised problems, the Glen Affric project partners said they have put measures in place to address these quickly should they emerge.

Pine Martens are reintroduced in Somerset

Pine Martens return to Exmoor after over a century

The Two Moors Pine Marten Project released nine females and 10 males at secret locations on Exmoor in September.

Despite concerns from the public, Simon Clarke, head of nature recovery for Somerset Wildlife Trust wants to reassure people the reintroduction of the animal will restore balance in local woodlands and says there is “plenty of habitat to accommodate the species”.

Mr Clarke said the project was “about restoring balance to our woodland ecosystem”, which pine martens were a critical part of before their woodland habitat was lost and they were hunted for fur.

He said the animals feed on fruit, especially in the autumn, which helped the surrounding environment.

“So they’ll be spreading the seeds and there will be new plants growing. They are an important part of our woodland flora,” he explained.

Pine martens are predators and eat fruit but they also feed on small mammals like mice and voles. Mr Clarke said other mammals had adapted to their presence over the years.

“Red squirrels for example are adapted to pine martens, they’re smaller, lighter and faster,” he said.

“Whereas grey squirrels aren’t adapted to them – so actually it could be beneficial to red squirrels,” he added.

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Seahorse Trust Autumn-Winter 2025 newsletter

The results of Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count are in, and while the numbers are a vast improvement on 2024’s record lows, experts warn urgent measures are still needed to reverse long-term decline.

The sunniest spring and hottest summer ever recorded in the UK provided good weather conditions for butterflies after 2024’s record-breaking lows. However, the results from the Big Butterfly Count show that it was definitely not a bumper summer for our beleaguered butterflies.

Between July 18 and August 10, over 125,000 citizen scientists got involved in the Big Butterfly Count – more than ever before – and recorded 1.7 million butterflies and moths, with the top five species being Large White, Small White, Gatekeeper, Red Admiral and Meadow Brown.

On average, participants recorded 10.3 butterflies during each 15-minute count. While a marked improvement on last summer’s record low of just 7.2, it is only broadly average by modern standards, and has done little to reverse longer-term declines.

Butterflies need two things to thrive: good weather and a healthy environment.

Dr Richard Fox, Head of Science at Butterfly Conservation, warns that “We may feel like we’ve seen lots of butterflies this summer, but that’s only because last year was so awful. 

 “Last summer’s results were the lowest we’ve seen and a stark warning that many of our common butterfly species are facing significant pressure from challenges linked to habitat loss, climate change and pesticide use. 

“Whilst we’ve seen noticeably more butterflies during 2025’s Big Butterfly Count, the figures suggest it’s actually been a pretty average year for them by modern standards. 

“The 15-year Big Butterfly Count trends show that more than twice as many widespread species have declined significantly than have increased. And, while most species had a better than average summer, one-third of species fared poorly even in the generally beneficial weather.

“There remains a need for us to take urgent action to support our butterfly populations, including by improving the environment in which they live, restoring habitats and reducing pesticide use. Until we do these things we are unlikely to see a great recovery in butterfly numbers, regardless of how much the sun shines.”

Winners and losers

Some species did show marked increases this summer. The Large White and Small White both recorded their best ever Big Butterfly Count result. View the results for each species below by selecting each tab along the top of the below graph:

Butterfly abundance 2016-2025 by Butterfly Conservation

Meanwhile the Small Tortoiseshell, which had its worst Big Butterfly Count result on record in 2024, showed some improvement but still recorded a below average year and has declined by 60% since 2011.

The Jersey Tiger moth had a record year. The species was recorded more widely and in higher numbers than ever before.

By contrast, Holly Blue had its second worst Big Butterfly Count result on record, Common Blue had its third worst and Meadow Brown had its fourth worst Count result.

Big Butterfly Count 2025 UK	Abundance	Average per count	% change from 2024	14-year trend (bold significant)
Large White	396,510	2.449	131.42	46.74
Small White	318,762	1.969	128.27	7.49
Gatekeeper	236,425	1.460	0.31	-21.87
Red Admiral	166,289	1.027	185.17	51.54
Meadow Brown	133,025	0.822	-39.57	-18.02
Peacock	96,155	0.594	52.78	-12.24
Speckled Wood	53,423	0.330	43.33	-35.14
Comma	43,062	0.266	42.01	-1.13
Common Blue	39,602	0.245	227.97	-54.30
Green-veined White	39,272	0.243	67.42	-57.40
Small Tortoiseshell	37,186	0.230	141.65	-59.68
Small Copper	20,925	0.129	21.08	93.89
Holly Blue	20,685	0.128	135.70	10.19
Ringlet	18,386	0.114	-66.45	-42.51
Painted Lady	15,856	0.098	207.19	14.24
Jersey Tiger	11,876	0.073	174.44
Brimstone	9149	0.057	-14.27	-6.60
Six spot burnet	5943	0.037	-73.48
Marbled White	2125	0.013	-90.42	-17.49
Silver y	1940	0.012	-61.78
Scotch Argus	1376	0.008	122.78
TOTAL	1,667,972	0.49	63.59