Beavers became extinct from the wild in England more than 400 years ago due to hunting for their pelts, meat and glands.
However, the animals – which were given legal protection in 2022 – made their way back into England’s rivers through escapes from enclosures and illegal releases.
Conservationists had called for a licensed wild returns to the English countryside as beavers engineer dams, ponds and channels which can boost other wildlife and help counter flooding and drought.
But concerns had been raised about impacts including beavers flooding roads or targeting crops such as maize and cricket bat willow.