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You must apply for a licence to release:

• non-native (alien) species
• species listed in schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act
• native Eurasian beavers into secure enclosures

This licence does not apply to reintroducing a species into the wild for conservation purposes. Follow the guidance on species reintroduction for more information.

Natural England will no longer grant a licence to release non-native (alien) species listed under the Invasive Alien Species Order 2019. This includes:

• grey squirrels
• Egyptian geese
• muntjac deer

You must use licence IAS A01 to move or keep invasive non-native (alien) species for welfare purposes.

What you must include in your application

On your application form (A03), you must include:

• a summary of why you need to apply and the purpose of releasing the species
• details of the species
• capture and release details, if appropriate, including timings and markings youll use
• how youll monitor any released animals
• health and disease status of wildlife at the release site and species to be released
• what you plan to do with any released animals at the end of the project, if appropriate
• site details, including Ordnance Survey grid references

You must provide evidence of:

• your qualifications and experience
• if youve applied for the licence before
• conservation considerations
• authorisation from the landowner or occupier

Send your completed application form to Natural England using the details on the form.

This licence is free. Natural England will contact you within 30 working days of receiving your application, to discuss your proposals.

Releasing native beavers into secure enclosures

Eurasian beavers are a native species in the UK. They are also a European protected species.

You must still use application (A03) to apply to release beavers into secure, fenced enclosures, even though they are a native species.

You cannot normally use enclosures made from a combination of fencing and natural topography. These are not secure and will not prevent beavers from escaping into the wild.

This licence does not apply to:

• existing enclosures, unless additional beavers are released into the same enclosure
• keeping beavers in zoos or other secure artificial environments that were not taken from the wild
• releasing beavers outside of secure enclosures

What you must include in your application

With your application, you must provide a management plan that includes:

• design and construction of the enclosure
• enclosure maintenance
• monitoring of beavers within the enclosure
• management of beaver welfare, recruitment and territorial behaviour
• measures to prevent escapes and to recapture any animals that do escape (including provisions to deal with any damage caused)
• an exit strategy setting out what will happen to the beavers at the end of the project (or if the project is terminated early).

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