Beavers to return to Loch Ness after 500-year absence
A newly granted licence clears the way for the historic reintroduction of beavers to the waters around Scotland's most famous loch.
Beavers are set to return to the Loch Ness area for the first time in five centuries, following the grant of a reintroduction licence.
The licence was issued on 30 October by Scottish government agency NatureScot to charities Trees for Life and Beaver Trust, an Ecoflix partner.
The decision comes in the 500th year since beavers were last recorded at the world-famous loch, making this a landmark moment for the species' recovery in Scotland.
Beavers are widely valued as ecosystem engineers. Their dams and wetlands can create rich habitats that benefit a wide range of other wildlife, as well as supporting healthier waterways.
For the two charities involved, the licence marks the culmination of efforts to bring this native species back to a place it once called home.
The return of beavers to the Loch Ness area adds to the growing story of their re-establishment across Scotland, where reintroductions have steadily expanded in recent years.
It is a hopeful chapter for a species that disappeared from these waters centuries ago, and a sign of what careful conservation work can achieve.
You can watch the story of this historic return and the work behind it on Ecoflix.