Beavers officially return to Scotland

● Two populations in Argyll and Tayside will be allowed to stay

Beavers are to make a permanent return to Scotland’s lochs and rivers after a 400year absence when they were hunted to extinction.

It will be the first time a mammal has been officially reintroduced to the UK after ministers ruled two isolated populations in Argyll and Tayside can remain.

Beavers will also now be added the list of protected species in Scotland.

Environment minister Roseanna Cunningham said the announcement is a “major milestone” in work to protect Scotland’s wildlife.

“Beavers promote biodiversity by creating new ponds and wetlands, which in turn provide valuable habitats for a wide range of other species,” the minister said.

New wetlands created by beavers support a wide range of other species such as otters,

0 Beavers are to make a permanent return to Scotland’s rivers and lochs after 400 years water voles, fish and dragonfly. Beavers also create more diverse woodlands by cutting back trees and even helping to regulate flooding.

Ms Cunningham said:“we want to realise these biodiversity benefits while limiting adverse impacts on farmers and other land users. This will require careful management.”

She added: “I want to be absolutely clear that while the species will be permitted to extend its range naturally, further unauthorised releases of beavers will be a criminal act.”

Anyone illegally releasing beavers into the wild could be jailed for two years. Such an illegal release was believed to be behind the establishment of a population on Tayside, with a separate official fiveyear trial having been set-up in Knapdale, Argyll, by the Royal Zoological Society and Scottish Wildlife Trust. It concluded in 2014.

Barbara Smith, chief executive of RZSS, said: “Today is a truly historic day for Scottish conservation. Returning a keystone species to the wild for the first time in 400 years is a tremendous achievement for RZSS and our partners the Scottish Wildlife Trust, and we welcome the government’s commitment to the species both in Knapdale and further afield.”

Jonathan Hughes, chief executive of the Scottish Wildlife Trust, said: “The return of beavers also has great potential for education and wildlife tourism.

“We have already seen at Knapdale how their presence is a tremendous draw for visitors from all over the world, which in turn brings social and economic benefits to the rural economy.”