SCOTLAND’S beaver population will be expanded to new areas of the country to help boost numbers of the animals after the Scottish Government announced its support for the plan.

Ministers said they will support translocation, which involves safely trapping and moving beavers to a more suitable area, which will help establish the animals’ presence outside their current range.

The announcement delivers a commitment made in the co-operation agreement between the Scottish Green Party and the SNP.

The Scottish Greens welcomed the move, which they said means beavers will be translocated within Scotland rather than killed.

Biodiversity Minister Lorna Slater, of the Scottish Greens, said: “Beavers were driven to extinction in Scotland but have now become an established part of our environment in some areas following their reintroduction, and today’s announcement will help them to continue to expand across the country.

“Restoring this lost species is important in its own right, but beavers will also contribute to restoring Scotland’s natural environment as they create wetland habitats that support a range of species, and their dams can also

help filter sediment from watercourses and mitigate flooding,” Slater added.

“The Scottish Government recognises that through their modification of the environment, in some places beavers can produce negative impacts on some species, on agricultural land, forestry and on infrastructure.

“Since they were made a protected species in 2019, we have gained sufficient experience in managing beavers in Scotland to allow us to confidently support proactive steps to expand their population.

“We will continue to provide support and advice to land managers to mitigate any negative impacts, and the additional option of trapping and translocation will further enhance this package of support.”

Recent NatureScot figures estimate that the beaver population in Scotland was between 602 and 1381 animals, with a rough median estimate of 954 beavers across 254 territories, mainly in the Forth and Tay catchment areas. Working with NatureScot and other partners, the Scottish Government will look for future beaver translocation release sites to include new areas of Scotland, to help increase beaver numbers.

Francesca Osowska, NatureScot’s chief executive, said: “This is a significant step to restore Scotland’s biodiversity and respond to the climate emergency.

“Up to now, our ability to move, or translocate, beavers to different areas across Scotland has been limited to moving animals within their current range where populations are already established.

“Being able to move beavers out of their current range gives us a much wider scope.”