These proposals need not be about finding more money, but about re-allocating the money that is already being spent on an unsustainable system. “The union has, since 2016, recognised that the species is here to stay and that, in some locations, beavers and people can co-exist happily,” said NFUS environment and land use chairman, Angus MacFadyen. If you are an artist then you can contribute an art work to XR and SWBGs 87 Beavers in Memorium Art Action. Seeing a beaver was a surprise, given that they were supposed to have been extinct in Scotland for 400 years. These beavers, incidentally, mostly came from low ground farms in Tayside where rare instances of relocation were carried out instead of shooting. The Scottish Wild Beaver Group say Beavers can enhance Scotland’s wildlife tourism. Timescale. In the Knapdale area of Scotland, one local hotelier has reported that 20% of his 2013 guests were there because of the reintroduced beavers. "We know there's still a relatively small number of beavers and they're quite localised. It is much better to accommodate the beaver family you already have. However, between 2009 and 2014, 16 Eurasian beavers were introduced into Scotland. She said: "The trust see that as deeply concerning, because it's such a substantial proportion of the beaver population on Tayside. Even if you accept the idea of some licensed activities to manage beaver conflict such as dam removal and lethal control and you give extra leniency to owners of Prime Agricultural Land to allow them to do this, you need to be very careful about definitions. They are agents of rewilding, creating abundant habitat for our beleaguered wildlife. Beavers would be fully removed from the wild in Scotland. This could be really transformative, not just to the survival of beavers but to the very survival of our countryside in this time of climate and biodiversity crisis. Video, A man who invited the world over for dinner, Star Wars supports host Arielle after racist abuse, Minister who promoted 'Covid syrup' tests positive, PM talks to Biden in first call since inauguration, Larry King, veteran talk show host, dies aged 87. They are also easy to control and any disease risks and adverse impacts can be managed. Beavers were released in Knapdale Forest, Argyll, as part of a pioneering project to restore the native species more than 400 years after they were hunted to extinction in Scotland. Report on the Beaver Reintroduction in Scotland with Mike Dilger If our government and farmers were more visionary in the way they saw our land-use then beavers would not be viewed as a pest on Prime Agricultural Land, but as part of the solution to a more resilient biodiverse countryside. back a little from the edge of the waterways. How can such slaughter of these recently reintroduced, highly beneficial, native herbivores be avoided in future? Where this works well it enables the beaver family to stay put and accept a smaller pond. Farmers have therefore had the animals shot, thus enraging many animal lovers and conservationists. Killing them or removing their dams can only be done under licence to prevent serious damage to agriculture. Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) said the licences had been restricted to a "fairly small proportion of occupied territories in and around Tayside". Unfortunately, they will usually cut more trees to build new dams and lodges, or dig fresh burrows, thus exacerbating the situation. But it’s not as though agriculture of this kind was not causing huge environmental problems itself. There is now a Trees for Life Petition calling for relocation of beavers here. They were illegally or accidentally released in Tayside before 2006 and have spread widely along waterways. The Beavers in Scotland ( BiS) report ( Annex 1) summarised work that examined the interaction of beavers with the Human Environment. The downside of this kind of payment is that it is paid at a lower rate per hectare and it is competitive. At this point it may be possible to apply for Pillar Two funding instead for “greening”. To receive the magazine, become a member now. They can also make themselves unpopular when, for example, they bark or take down 250-year-old beech trees planted as part of a much-admired designed landscapes. Scottish Beavers, a partnership between the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) and the Scottish Wildlife Trust, released 21 more beavers into … The last survey in 2017 by SNH estimated that there were about 450 beavers in 114 locations in the Tay and Forth river catchments. Take Action Now. Where beavers are shot, or trapped out, the habitat is then left open for another beaver family to move in and start the process of damming all over again. The large acreage given over to the growing of fodder for cattle is highly contentious and a strong argument for eating less meat. A … It is much better to accommodate the beaver family you already have. Beavers and humans exist in much closer proximity and far higher densities in Bavaria. Despite this, the Scottish Government has, so far, decided not to allow relocation to these places, or anywhere in Scotland other than the official trial site. They are both ecosystem engineers and a keystone species. The National Union of Farmers in Scotland (NFUS) called for “effective” management and licensing schemes for beavers. THE number of beavers has more than doubled to more than 400 in one Scots region, a survey has found. To ensure that we can all enjoy the benefits that beavers can offer, it is important to have a bold national strategy. If not quite a staple, raspberries and strawberries are a highly desirable crop and part of a healthy diet. In narrow, often grazed riparian areas, we have lost a great deal of pollinator habitat and berry farmers have become more dependent on expensive and vulnerable hired-in bees. Beavers meet weekly to try out a huge range of activities, which might include science experiments, crafts, den building and more. SCOTLAND’S BEAVERS NEED YOU. Its head of wildlife management, Robbie Kernahan, told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme: "We've seen beavers expand their range by about 20% on an annual basis prior to even being protected. 24 talking about this. Sign up for our WEEKLY and MONTHLY newsletters - and never miss out on the amazing news and comment articles we publish, day in day out. The number of wild beavers descended from illegally released animals living in Tayside has nearly tripled, according to Scottish Natural Heritage. It was Britain’s first official reintroduction of a mammal species to the wild. Beavers are brilliant for wildlife and for people – but in Scotland these habitat-creating, biodiversity-boosting, flood-preventing animals are at risk as a species, because … They were illegally or accidentally released in Tayside before 2006 and have spread widely along waterways. They have a beaver population of 23,000 compared with a population of around 450 in Scotland). The last survey in 2017 by SNH estimated that there were about 450 beavers in … Help us secure a future for beavers and their wetlands in Scotland. This evidence contributed to a comprehensive report, Beavers in Scotland, which was published and presented to the Scottish Government in 2015. Twenty such projects have been carried out in Tayside in the last year, and more are planned, but seen against 87 dead beavers this seems like far too little too late. For more information visit the website for Scottish Wild Beavers. “ For beavers to have a secure future in Scotland, the number of rivers in which they live and their total population must both be allowed to increase. Beavers were given legal protection in Scotland on May 1st 2019, and now a licence must be obtained to control them. Meanwhile there are landowners and reintroduction projects across the UK who want beavers. How did it happen, and how can such slaughter of these recently reintroduced, highly beneficial, native herbivores be avoided in future? In 2016, the Scottish Government granted beavers the status of native species and Roseanna Cunningham, Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform, announced that beavers would remain in Scotland (Gaywood, 2018). Find out more . Each breeding pair produces between one and six offspring, or kits, per year. The views expressed in the articles published on this site may not necessarily reflect those of the trust, its trustees or its staff. Beavers became extinct in Britain in the 16th century due to over-hunting by humans. While all of these activities are highly beneficial to the environment, they can, sometimes, be very annoying to certain low ground farmers. But some farmers do get these payments and shockingly some of the farms on which beavers are being  killed and dams removed are in receipt of large sums of public money for “Greening.". But while some of the things beavers do are genuinely problematic there may sometimes be a tendency to go by the precautionary principle and get rid of them before they settle in. In parts of England such as at Pickering in Yorkshire, and, for example, in the Eddlestone Water in the Scottish Borders, artificial beaver dams have been installed in streams to reduce flooding of towns in the valleys below. This looks destructive but in fact it  creates rare and valuable standing dead wood - much needed by species such as woodpeckers and owls, beetles and fungi. A majority of Scots agree beavers should be moved to new locations in Scotland instead of being killed, according to new research. Pollinators buzz happily on species rich meadows; agricultural run-off is filtered through the dams and wetlands and catastrophic flooding has been averted for the last 20 years. There are three things that should be tried before anyone resorts to shooting a beaver. As people move to a more vegetable based diet - flexitarian, vegetarian and vegan - this is should already be freeing up land not just in the uplands and other less favoured areas where the livestock are grazed, but also in the low lying areas where much of the grain that is grown is fed to livestock. The first beavers (caught in Norway) were released in Knapdale Forest, Argyll, in May 2009. 'Granting beavers protected status is an important milestone for the return of the species to Scotland’s lochs and rivers. NatureScot has been investigating the issues around beavers and beaver reintroduction since 1995. In Switzerland a similar approach by the government has enabled beavers to exist alongside arable land with carefully designed fencing to keep the beavers out of the critical places and to encourage them into the places where they can mitigate some of the problematic impacts of agriculture. Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) is due to publish 2019 figures in the near future. The animals were introduced into Knapdale as part of a licensed trial in 2009. Long watch: Is this Russian cult leader a fraud? Beavers are extremely territorial and the resident family, happily accommodated within the farmers’ parameters will then defend the territory against the arrival of other beavers. The first - accommodation -  is to just leave it be and wait and see if there is a real problem after all. A European Beaver. COURT action to stop the killing of wild beavers in Scotland will go ahead following a successful crowdfunding appeal. These ecosystem engineers help with wetland restoration, flood prevention, nature and wellbeing and much more besides, and are in high demand. The system of payments will last until 2024 but then it will change. "Doing this could help expand their range, and close the gap between Scotland's two beaver populations. Scottish Wildlife Trust conservation director Sarah Robinson said the report revealed "alarming figures.". mostly came from low ground farms in Tayside where rare instances of relocation were carried out instead of shooting. Beavers are brilliant for wildlife and for people – but in Scotland these habitat-creating, biodiversity-boosting, flood-preventing animals are at risk as a species, because … Instead of hurrying water down straightened ditches and rivers and risk catastrophic flooding in times of heavy rain, they needed to revert the land to a more natural system of drainage where water meanders and flows more slowly across the land. Alternatively you can write to Roseanna Cunningham, If you are an artist then you can contribute an art work to XR and SWBGs, For more information visit the website for, There is now a Trees for Life Petition calling for relocation of beavers. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Take part in our art action to commemorate the 87 beavers killed in 2019 and persuade the Scottish Government to only employ lethal control as a genuine last resort. After all, beavers co-evolved and co-existed with our native woodlands and riparian areas for centuries before they were extirpated by people due to demand for their secretions and their fur, so it makes total sense that they are a vital component of functioning ecosystems. The answer is that while it is difficult to accommodate these agents of rewilding in a highly artificial landscape, often it is not impossible and it is well worth the effort. away from the water’s edge, giving a wide strip of the riparian edge back to nature - allowing & encouraging rivers to re-meander and pools and wetlands to form along the edge. 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In addition to the shot beavers, 83 beaver dams have been removed in the last year under 19 licences. This is the first time that a mammal has been formally reintroduced in UK history. Beavers can provide a range of ecosystem services. Where had this beaver come from? This is the first time that a mammal has been formally reintroduced in UK history. Nine miners trapped in the collapsed Hushan mine have been brought to the surface, state media say. Some of the stated disadvantages of granting beavers legal protection are set out below: The Tweed Foundation has expressed concerns in relation to fish passages, as beavers can dam streams, preventing or restricting spawning fish from getting upstream. A project to reinforce the population of beavers in Argyll could act as a model for reintroducing the endangered species elsewhere in Scotland and other parts of the world. Often the dam does much more good than harm, making a beautiful pool full of fish and waterfowl, amphibians and water plants, filtering run off and holding the water table steady. Valued trees may be individually wrapped with wire or painted with a mixture of paint and sand, and sections of woodland can be fenced. Their dams and wetlands act as filters for agricultural run-off and other pollutants. And we have absolutely nothing to fear. After a catastrophic flood in 1995 when 200,000 people had to be evacuated from their homes, the Dutch did some serious thinking and concluded that they needed to completely review the way they manage their waterways. It is important to ask ourselves what is actually grown on this prime agricultural land in Scotland? Shooting first and asking questions later seems to be the order of the day, whereas it should be exactly the other way around. Flood-banks can be protected with wire, and culverts can be protected with fencing boxes called  beaver deceivers. 75 percent of the farmers who have got licenses to kill said they would be happy to have the beavers trapped and moved but with the ban on moving them to most areas of Scotland, this just isn’t feasible. Coreen Grant takes us on a rollercoaster ride through the forgotten history of beavers on the British isles: from near-extinction to a challenging modern re-introduction, these crucial ecosystem engineers have had it rough and need our support more than ever. So they created their ‘Room for the River’ project and moved agriculture away from the water’s edge, giving a wide strip of the riparian edge back to nature - allowing & encouraging rivers to re-meander and pools and wetlands to form along the edge. But in reality, nature does not always conform to bureaucratic requirements. And this is not just the language of environmentalists, it is the language of government. Beavers meet weekly to try out a huge range of activities, which might include science experiments, crafts, den building and more. The two main beaver populations are in Knapdale in Argyll, and in Tayside and Forth. In pictures: Defiant Russians rally for opposition, The homeless addict who became a history professor, The man who invited the world over for dinner. Check out our range of sustainably produced organic merchandise. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. © 2021 BBC. 400 years after being hunted to extinction, these hardy river-dwellers are back in Scotland, making good use of the native woodland for building their dams and lodges. You can pay the best advisor to do it for you and still be turned down. “The union has, since 2016, recognised that the species is here to stay and that, in some locations, beavers and people can co-exist happily,” said NFUS environment and land use chairman, Angus MacFadyen. 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