On November 4, a family of six beavers was released into a lochan on Trees for Life's 10,000-acre Dundreggan rewilding estate in Glenmoriston, within the Loch Ness catchment.

It is the first beaver release beside the loch since the species was last recorded there roughly 500 years ago, before being hunted to national extinction in Scotland.

The animals were relocated from elsewhere in Scotland under a NatureScot licence, which was granted on October 30 following a summer application by Trees for Life. Before release, the beavers underwent health checks at the specialist holding facility at Five Sisters Zoo.

Loch Ness being the last recorded site of Scotland's beavers before their eradication gives the release unusual historical weight, and conservationists are calling it a major milestone for nature recovery in Britain.

Trees for Life head of nature restoration Alan McDonnell said the project marks beavers reclaiming their place in rivers and wetlands, boosting biodiversity and bringing eco-tourism opportunities, and called their return one of Scotland's biggest rewilding success stories.

Beaver Trust head of restoration Roisin Campbell-Palmer said it was profoundly rewarding to release the first beavers at Dundreggan, calling the extensive woodland and suitable habitat a real opportunity for the animals to thrive.

The November 4 release is the first of the Ness Beaver Project, a collaborative initiative led by Trees for Life and Beaver Trust that aims to reintroduce at least 15 beaver family groups into lochs, lochans and rivers around Loch Ness over the next three years.

The animals were relocated from Tayside, where expanding populations create local coexistence challenges that the project also helps ease.

Rewilding Europe reports that a grant of just over 47,000 euros from its European Wildlife Comeback Fund is supporting releases, monitoring, volunteer involvement and community engagement, and that the beavers receive supplementary food and temporary shelter to help them settle.

As ecosystem engineers, beavers dig channels, coppice trees and build dams, creating pools, wetlands and light-filled woodland gaps that support frogs and dragonflies, with insect abundance feeding birds and bats.

On smaller streams, their dams slow water flow and trap sediment, improving water quality, while their wetlands can reduce downstream flooding, hold water through dry spells, and provide damp refuges for wildlife during wildfires.

Trees for Life CEO Steve Micklewright told Rewilding Europe that getting beavers into Loch Ness creates a powerful starting point for recolonisation across a huge area of northern Scotland, with subsequent monitoring tracking movements, breeding success and impacts on habitats used by Atlantic salmon.

The project follows extensive discussions with local communities and land managers and reports strong public support, though Rewilding Europe notes some farmers and fishers have raised concerns about potential impacts.

A locally based beaver management officer, backed by a dedicated monitoring and mitigation group, will work proactively with landowners, using measures such as protecting valuable trees and managing water levels behind dams.

Once the animals have settled, Trees for Life plans guided beaver tours at Dundreggan, home to the world's first Rewilding Centre. Future release sites will be announced only after each family settles, and the effort forms part of Scotland's National Beaver Strategy.