Historic decision to protect Tay beavers
A landmark Scottish Government move to allow beavers – including those living on the River Ericht in Blairgowrie and the wider Tay catchment area – to stay in Scotland has been hailed by campaigners.
The long-awaited Holyrood decision on the fate of the animals, announced by environment secretary Roseanna Cunningham late last week, means they now have protected status.
It is the first official reintroduction of a once-native mammal in the UK and follows the completion of the Scottish Beaver Trial – which considered evidence from beaver populations in Tayside and Knapdale in Argyll.
Results of the study were presented to the Scottish Government last year, during a process which was being closely followed by local wildlife enthusiasts and environmentalists.
Louise Ramsay, from Bamff near Alyth, is one of the founder members of the Scottish Wild Beaver Group (SWBG) and welcomed the news.
She said: “SWBG is absolutely delighted at Roseanna Cunningham’s decision to give legal protection and native status to beavers in Scotland.
“We would like to congratulate all our Campaigners made their views clear. From left, are David Grant, Peter Goodwin and Connie Goodwin reintroducing beavers with the obvious need to limit difficulties for our farmers.”
She continued: “Beavers promote biodiversity by creating new ponds and wetlands, which in turn provide valuable habitats for a wide range of other species.
“We want to realise these biodiversity benefits while limiting adverse impacts on farmers and other land users. This will require careful management.”
Mrs Ramsay added: “We have always agreed there needs to be a well-thought through approach to management, especially on some of the low-ground farms, so we are happy this has also been highlighted in the minister’s statement.
“We look forward to collaborating with our allies in the conservation world to develop more public information, educational and volunteering programmes to support the spread of this fantastic keystone species about Scotland.”
Management techniques to prevent beaver damage, such as controlling flow through dams, or protecting valuable trees can be carried out without a licence.
The Scottish Government has said it will provide advice and assistance to farmers implementing mitigation and prevention measures and emphasised “while the species will be permitted to extend its range naturally, further unauthorised releases of beavers will be a criminal act”.