NatureScot’s beaver management: judicial review

Of the five complaints under consideration by the Court, four were rejected entirely. The Court found only one complaint to be well founded -  that NatureScot must give reasons for issuing a licence – on what amounts to a technical point of law.

In light of this part of the ruling, we will amend existing licenses when needed, to show that culling is a necessary last resort, due to issues such as agricultural damage.

The court decision does not affect the legality of any acts carried out under current species control licence for beaver.

We welcome the Court’s broad vindication of our licensing process. We have been working with partners for 25 years to bring back beavers to Scotland because of the many benefits they bring to both people and nature, particularly in this crucial time of climate emergency. But in certain circumstances, beavers can cause problems. In those specific situations where beavers pose a risk of serious damage to farmland or where they occasionally cause a public health and safety concern, we issue species control licences accordingly.

-ENDS