Yahoo News 'Nature needs beavers' - North East wildlife expert fears reintroduction of beavers has stalled
Last year, beavers returned to Northumberland for the first time in around 400 years. Four were introduced into an enclosure at the National Trust’s Wallington estate and this year a new addition was born to the family.
The return was one of several similar ventures cross the country – but now a North East wildlife expert has voiced fears that the reintroduction of the animals has lost momentum, despite their beneficial influence for nature and the landscape. “The benefits of beavers are widely acknowledged and well-evidenced but across England and Wales, the reintroduction of this keystone species has stalled,” said Duncan Hutt, Northumberland Wildlife Trust’s director of conservation.
“Numerous scientific studies have shown that beavers improve water quality, stabilise water flows during times of drought and flood, and give a huge boost to habitats and to other wildlife. Given the climate and nature crises, we need beavers back in the wild to give us a hand to resolve these challenges.
READ MORE:German Doner Kebab partners with YouTube duo to unveil Heinz Secret Sauce after Metrocentre opening
“Nature needs beavers – but at the moment these extraordinary mammals are either living in enclosures where the benefits to communities are limited, or they’ve been released illegally and there are no management plans in place to support land managers. Governments must accept that beavers are here to stay and embrace the big positives they bring so that society can reap the rewards too.”
North-East based Wild Intrigue, a community interest company which runs wildlife events, has organised around 50 bookable beaver “safaris” for visitors at the Wallington enclosure this year . “There has been a lot of interest from people who want to learn more about the beavers,” said Wild Intrigue co-director Heather Devey, who agreed that the reintroductions of the animals has stalled.
“We need to reinstate beavers as a native species in the wild, which is what they once were,” she said. "We should move away from enclosed releases and reintroduce beavers across suitable water catchments.”
The Wildlife Trusts – the umbrella organisation for regional trusts – has just published a vision for the return of beavers to England and Wales, making the case for returning the species to rivers. They say beavers are known for their hugely beneficial effects on wetlands and can play an important role in flood prevention, filtering water and boosting wildlife habitat.
But, three years since a Defra beaver consultation opened and nearly two years since legislation officially recognised beavers as a native species in England, the UK Government has repeatedly failed to put in place the steps needed for their return, says the Wildlife Trusts. This includes the issuing of licences for beavers to be returned to the wild in England and the publishing of strategic plans to enable beavers to be reintroduced.
The Wildlife Trusts’ new vision explains how releasing beavers into the wild – in preference to the fenced enclosures that are currently allowed – would enable beavers to rejoin the UK’s native ecology, providing beleaguered wetlands with a powerful natural restoration tool, bringing back life to rivers and providing benefits to society.
To support bringing back beavers to the wild, The Wildlife Trusts is calling for Government to:
Publish an ambitious beaver reintroduction strategy.
Fund farmers and land managers to make more space for water on their land.
Support beaver management groups.
Confirm all wild beavers can remain in England and Wales.
Professor Richard Brazier, director of the Centre for Resilience in Environment, Water and Waste at the University of Exeter, said: “The overwhelming weight of scientific evidence on the impacts of beaver reintroduction is positive.
“Unsurprisingly, as a keystone species that has evolved over millions of years, the beaver has adapted to create ecosystems that are resilient to droughts, floods and the wide range of ways in which humans degrade the environment.
“Renewing our coexistence with this animal and thus enabling the beaver to modify landscapes that can again deliver multiple ecosystem services to society is an obvious and sensible thing to do.”
