Campaigners praise new tactic on beavers
Pro-wildlife group‘over the moon’following move
Campaigners have welcomed the Scottish Government’s announcement that it is to take a “new approach” to actively expand the country’s beaver population.
In a statement, ministers said they will support translocation – which involves trapping and moving beavers to a more suitable area.
Scottish biodiversity minister Lorna Slater unveiled the plans at Perthshire’s Loch of the Lowes nature reserve last week.
Ms Slater, of the Scottish Greens, said at the time: “Beavers were driven to extinction in Scotland but have now become an established part of our environment in some areas following their reintroduction, and today’s announcement will help them to continue to expand across the country.
“Beavers will also contribute to restoring Scotland’s natural environment as they create wetland habitats that support a range of species, and their dams can also help filter sediment from watercourses and mitigate flooding.”
The Scottish Wild Beaver Group “s t renuously” welcomed the announcement.
Louise Ramsay is chair of the Perthshire-based charity.
She said: “We are over the moon.
“We hope this marks a brighter new future for Scotland’s beavers and we are deeply grateful to all those individuals and organisations who pushed for this.
“We would particularly like to thank MSP Mark Ruskell for arguing the case for a less restrictive approach to beaver expansion, and we recognise the efforts of the Scottish Government in having moved to bring about this welcome change which will deliver benefits for beavers, the environment and wider society.
“We must also pay tribute to the 21 respected environmental commentators who recently signed a letter calling for this precise outcome.
“A special mention must also go to Steve Micklewright from Trees for Life who relentlessly applied pressure through a Holyrood petition and by bringing a judicial review.
“But we also cannot forget the incredible support we have had over the years from the people of Scotland and beyond.
“Through campaigns such as ‘ 87 Beavers: In Memoriam’ we have let our voices be heard and success has come at last.
“We thank each and everyone one of you.”
An open letter signed by 21 influential environmentalists, conservationists and commentators – including Gordon Buchanan, Cameron McNeish and Sir John Lister Kaye OBE from the Aigas Centre near Inverness – was sent to Scottish Government ministers last month.
It stated that the Scottish Government’s beaver policy had “critical shortcomings”, highlighting that, despite being declared a European Protected Species in May 2019, more than 200 beavers had been shot under government licence in Tayside.
The document went on to urge the Scottish Government to endorse the translocation of beavers in order to avoid such high levels of killing in the future.
And, in October, in judicial review proceedings brought in the Court Session by the charity Trees For Life, Lady Carmichael ruled that NatureScot had “erred in law” by issuing licenses to kill beavers without sufficiently explaining why lethal control measures were necessary.
The latest announcement was also welcomed by the Scottish Wildlife Trust and NatureScot.
Chief executive of NatureScot, Francesca Osowska, said it was positive news, commenting: “This is a significant step to restore Scotland’s biodiversity and respond to the climate emergency.
“Up to now, our ability to move, or translocate, beavers to different areas across Scotland has been limited to moving animals within their current range where populations are already established.
“Being able to move beavers out of their current range gives us a much wider scope.
“The change is backed by our evidence gathered over 26 years on suitable habitat for beavers throughout the country, as well as evidence on how beavers form ponds and wetlands where other species thrive, slow down water flows and improve water quality.
“This, along with the results from our survey earlier this year showing a healthy and expanding population of beavers in Scotland, is really positive news.
“We are committed to continuing our work with stakeholders to restore and manage beavers, benefiting our environment.”
And Sarah Robinson, director of conservation at Scottish Wildlife Trust, added: “Beavers have a vital role to play in tackling the growing crisis facing nature.
“Achieving a thriving national population of beavers which is spread throughout Scotland’s lochs and rivers will unlock a huge range of benefits, including boosting biodiversity and creating new opportunities for wildlife tourism.
“We strongly welcome the Scottish Government’s support for expanding the current range of the species into new areas of Scotland.
“There is more than 100,000 hectares of suitable woodland habitat around the country. Much of this habitat is in areas where there is a low risk of conflict with agriculture and other land uses.
“Moving beavers requires specialist skills and resources so providing funding and increasing the number of people who are trained to carry out translocations effectively is an important step forward.
“To fully benefit from the return of beavers to Scotland we need to see joined up thinking.
“We look forward to working with groups from a range of backgrounds to help shape a robust and forward-looking national strategy for the species.
“It’s vital that this strategy is coherent with the new Scottish Biodiversity Strategy, and that land managers are appropriately rewarded for managing habitat within the new subsidies system.”
This marks a brighter new future for Scotland’s beavers and we are deeply grateful to all who pushed for this Louise Ramsay