To all those who did it anyway and why it matters so much

Bringing Back The Beaver is a wonderful book written by farmer and Nature conservationist, Derek Gow. Derek played a significant role in the reintroduction of the Eurasian Beaver, the Water Vole and the White Stork in England, currently working on a reintroduction project for the Wildcat.

Beavers are the second largest species of rodent in the world and are native to the British Isles, populating archaelogical records, parish registers, place names and the parliamentary acts that require us to treat these beautiful, industrious creatures as vermin.

This is not only a derogatory term but also a nonsensicle approach when Nature needs all the help it can get and when the Beaver is key to our ecological recovery. Beavers are strict vegetarians which immediately dissipates fears from local fishermen and anglers that these water-loving creatures pose a threat to river stocks.

In the foreward, Isabella Tree, shares her dismay that Beavers have been 'relegated to the fairy tales of Narnia where C S Lewis, to his eternal disgrace, has these obligate herbivores eating fish - misinformation that, like the man-eating wolf in Little Red Riding Hood, refuses to lie down.'

Beavers are expert land engineers, efficient and extremely hard-working. They ceaselessly shape the land by building dams and coppicing trees which is a widespread and traditional form of woodland management. When trees or shrubs are repeatedly cut at the base, it creates a coppice stool that regrows to provide a sustainable supply of wood. A trusted technique that dates back to the Stone Age.

Most importantly, Beaver dams slow the flow of water as their dam systems hold back surges of water so significantly that they prevent downstream communities and infrastructure from flooding. 'As they labour and burrow; create woody dams; scent mark their leaf piles with their camphor-rich juice; build, browse and bicker; and fell trees with ease, the Beavers wrapped up in their works for the day, don't know, care or wonder that all that surrounds them is made by their actions.'

It is no wonder people have taken it upon themselves to bring back the Beaver anyway, resulting in wonderful success stories such as the River Otter Beaver Trial where a population of Beavers of unknown origin, transformed the local landscape and have earned the right to stay.

It is a sad thing indeed that althought populations of Beavers now exist on Scottish river systems such as the River Forth, the current official policy is that only Beavers that naturally disperse will be allowed to form new populations. The
Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has agreed that as Beavers now exist in Scotland in a population that demonstrates good conservation status they should be shot when conflicts arise with landowners who dislike them and resent their return, rather than be moved to areas of suitable habitat elsewhere.

Meanwhile, in England, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) states that: 'It remains unlawful to release a Beaver into the wild or an enclosure without a licence. Natural England will not be considering applications for licences for any further releases of Beavers into the wild until the national approach is finalised and there are a sufficient number of registered class licence users to facilitate an effective management approach.' [September 2022]

Well that's that then, shame on the landowners and shame on the government. But there is hope. Thanks to those who understand Nature and love our natural world, I will leave you with this quote: 'It is arguably true that without the actions of individuals who 'just did it' by accident or design, the return of the Beaver in the British Isles would today be no more than a pipe dream.

To every single one of those champions of Nature and supporters of the Beaver cause - I salute you.

Sue Cartwright

Spiral Leaf

The Beaver is an ecosystem engineer, architect of watery kingdoms and riparian habitats teeming with life, restorer of natural hydrology, creator, even soil itself.

Isabella Tree

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Bringing Back The Beaver by Derek Gow