They shoot beavers, don’t they?

Land owners and managers in Scotland yesterday welcomed the Court of Session’s decision to uphold Naturescot’s existing beaver management framework, which they said allowed them to deal with negative impacts from beavers, such as the destruction of trees and habitat.

Sarah-jane Laing, chief executive of the landowner’s organisation, Scottish Land & Estates, commented on the outcome of a judicial review of Naturescot’s approach, which allows the issuingoflethalcontrollicences for beavers.

“The framework is the best way forward to balance conflictsbetweenconservationand land management and those who require licences can look forward to them being granted inappropriatecircumstancesin future,” said Laing who agreed that lethal control should only be used as a last resort.

The legal challenge to the existingarrangementsmadeby theenvironmentalgrouptrees for Life was based on the premise that relocation was preferabletograntinglicencestoshoot beavers where their activities were threatening land and livelihoods.

The Scottish government declared beavers a legally protected species in May 2019, but Trees for Life said thatasnaturescotissued87 lethalcontrollicencesinthe following year, it was failing initsdutytoprotectbeavers andwasbreakingthelawby issuingthelicenseswithout exploring other options.

The court also ruled that Naturescot should communicate clearly the reasons for issuing licenses for lethalcontrol-andenvironmentalgroupsclaimedthat such a requirement would help ensure more beavers were translocated to other areas rather than shot.