Beaver family will be released in the Forest of Dean to stop a village from flooding, with potential for further such schemes to follow

A valley in the Forest of Dean will echo to the sound of herbivorous munching next spring when a family of beavers are released into a fenced enclosure to stop a village from flooding, in the first ever such scheme funded by the government.

The plan for the village of Lydbrook, Gloucestershire, may soon be joined by other schemes. The environment secretary, Michael Gove, has indicated that the government may support other schemes to restore the beaver four centuries after it was driven to extinction in England and Wales.

The beavers’ dam-building stores huge quantities of water and slows peak flows during flood events, potentially lessening devastating floods. Unofficial releases of beavers on to the River Otter in Devon have led to an official trial and similar schemes in Scotland last year led to the Scottish government declaring that the beaver would once again be recognised and protected as a native mammal.

“The beaver has a special place in English heritage and the Forest of Dean proposal is a fantastic opportunity to help bring this iconic species back to the countryside,” said Gove. “The community of Lydbrook has shown tremendous support for this proposal and the beavers are widely believed to be a welcome addition to local wildlife.”

Local people have welcomed the decision after months of uncertainty over whether the scheme, which was first proposed by the Forestry Commission, would be supported by central government. This is the first such scheme on government land.

“We’re all very excited – it’s great news,” said Sid Phelps, a local Green councillor. “They’ve got the beavers in cages all ready to go and we have some good experts who know the beavers. The worst-case scenario is that they have little impact on flood alleviation but there are other spin-offs such as the benefit to local ecology and tourism. Someone came in the pub the other day to ask where the valley was. There is a lot of interest and we might even get Michael [Gove] himself down here to open the cage door.”

The Forestry Commission is funding and overseeing the project on Greathough Brook, in which two adult beavers and two kits will be released into a 6.5 hectare enclosure surrounded by state-of-the-art fencing to ensure the beavers do not move into the wider landscape. The Forestry Commission will monitor the impact on wildlife – shown to be hugely beneficial – as well as recording the water flow in the brook. All the beavers will be fully tested for disease before they are released.

Chris McFarling, a cabinet member of Forest of Dean district council, said: “Beavers are the most natural water engineers we could ask for. They’re inexpensive, environmentally friendly and contribute to sustainable water and flood management.

“They slow the release of storm water with their semi-porous dams, decreasing the flooding potential downstream. Water quality is improved as a result of their activities. They also allow water to flow during drought conditions. Financially they are so much more cost-effective than traditional flood defence works so it makes sense to use this great value-for-money opportunity.”

The government’s backing for the Lydbrook scheme is likely to trigger a rash of applications by wildlife charities to return beavers to river systems in England and Wales. New government guidance shows how Natural England, the government’s conservation watchdog, will assess applications for licences.

But environmental consultant and beaver expert Derek Gow warned that the new licensing conditions are vague and could prove so onerous in its monitoring requirements that other attempts to bring back beavers will be halted because they cost too much.

“It’s a great decision by Michael Gove and its intent is quite clear – to prepare the way for the restoration of the species on a wider scale across England and Wales,” said Gow. “But I’m concerned by how future trials are funded as the new licensing system is introduced. We might be opening the stable door for the horse and then shutting it again when the horse is half way through.”

According to Gow, vague-sounding requirements that make organisations reintroducing beavers responsible for all subsequent monitoring and recapture far into the future will prove prohibitively expensive. The Devon trial being undertaken by the Devon Wildlife Trust is costing more than £500,000, which the small charity must meet itself, while a trial in Scotland cost £2.2m.

Gow added: “To make beaver reintroductions possible, we need very clear guidance now from Natural England and Defra on exactly what they want.”