Beaver case‘will be heard at court’
A charity challenging the Scottish Government on policy after an outcry over how many wild beavers it allowed to be killed in Tayside two years ago has said the Court of Session has agreed to hear its case.
Trees for Life announced last year it was attempting to take NatureScot to court over its alleged failure to make the killing of wild beavers a last resort when the animals are perceived to be making problems for landowners.
The charity began pursuing possible action after a report emerged last year showing 87 beavers were killed under licence in Tayside in 2019 - a number reported to be around a fifth of the Scottish population.
Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Mark Ruskell said at the time he thought it was a“scandal”so many beavers have been killed under licence after the government recognised the animals as a European protected species in May that year.
Now Trees for Life has said the Court of Session has given it permission to challenge NatureScot over its policy when it comes to the granting of licences through a judicial review later this year.
Chief executive Steve Micklewright said:“We’re grateful to the court for granting permission for our judicial review to be heard, which we hope will lead to a more nature-friendly, climate-friendly and farmer-friendly approach to this endangered species in Scotland.”
Lawyer Adam Eagle, chief executive officer of legal specialist rewilding charity The Lifescape Project, which is spearheading the litigation with Trees for Life, said:“In its decision the court has found that Trees for Life has the legal right to challenge NatureScot on this important issue, despite the agency’s attempt to avoid the issues being fully aired at a substantive trial.
“This step forward also shows that we have a real prospect of succeeding in this legal challenge, which is now scheduled for a final hearing in May this year.”
Robbie Kernahan, NatureScot’s director of sustainable growth, said: “We have been working with partners for 25 years to bring back beavers to Scotland because they provide multiple benefits to people and nature.
“But in certain circumstances, beavers can cause problems. In those specific situations where beavers pose a risk of serious damage to farmland or where they occasionally cause a public health and safety concern, we issue licences accordingly.
”We are confident that our approach to managing these impacts is robust and lawful and licences are only used if we are satisfied that there is no other solution.”