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It's official - beavers are back!

The Wildlife Trusts are celebrating today’s government announcement that England’s first wild colony of breeding beavers is to be allowed to remain living wild on a Devon river
Beavers (c) David Land

David Land

Further landmark decisions about the future for beavers in Scotland and Wales are expected later this year.

Harry Barton, Chief Executive of Devon Wildlife Trust, said:

“We are delighted by Natural England’s decision to grant us a licence to give these beavers a long term future on the River Otter.  It’s the result of a great deal of effort by our charity, supported by partner organisations across the UK and, most importantly, by the local community.

“This is an historic moment.  The beavers of the River Otter are the first breeding population in the English countryside for hundreds of years.1  We believe they can play a positive role in the landscapes of the 21st century through their ability to restore our rivers to their former glories.  We know from our own research and research done in Europe that beavers are excellent aquatic-engineers improving the flood and drought resilience of our countryside and increasing the water quality of our rivers.2  They are incredibly industrious animals and their hard work has benefits for people and wildlife.”

Devon Wildlife Trust has expressed its delight that Natural England has granted it permission to monitor the beavers.  It is well-placed to do this work because it has solid experience: Devon Wildlife Trust’s beaver trial in another part of the county is ongoing – scientific results will be published in 2016.
 
Public meetings have been held to discuss the presence of the wild beavers on the River Otter – there has been a high level of local support for Devon Wildlife Trust’s proposal to set up a five year project to monitor the population and its impact.  It is appealing to the public to help it fund the scheme.  Public enthusiasm for the beavers is high – with Devon Wildlife Trust raising £45,000 in just eight weeks.

The Wildlife Trusts are at the forefront of bringing beavers, and the lost landscapes that were once their home, back to the UK.  Beavers were hunted to extinction in the UK by the 16th century because their fur was highly valued. Now Wildlife Trusts in England, Scotland and Wales are making the case for their reintroduction by hosting both wild and enclosed beaver trials and feasibility studies.
 
Beavers are an extraordinary species with a rare ability to transform the landscapes in which they live.  The channels that they dig have to be seen to be believed – they are engineering-perfection – and are created to provide canals for them to travel around because they feel safer in water.  They are vegetarian and so, contrary to some assumptions, they do not eat fish.  The mosaic of ponds, canals and wetland habitats that they create enhances these places for other wildlife - with many additional benefits for humans too.  They engineer more absorbent landscapes which help prevent flooding and filter water so that it’s cleaner.

Stephanie Hilborne OBE, Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts says:


“This is wonderful news.  I hope that the decision to allow this fascinating and once commonplace native species to remain on the River Otter symbolises a change in our relationship with the natural world, and a wider appreciation that nature makes our lives richer.”

For more information please see www.wildlifetrusts.org/beavers.

Beaver (c) Nick Upton

Nick Upton

Beaver Facts

  • Beavers were hunted to extinction in the UK – probably in the 1700s.
  • There are two species of beavers in the world.  North American beaver and Eurasian beaver.  North American beavers have the capacity to engineer larger and more complex dam structures than their European cousins.  The beavers on the River Otter are highly likely to be Eurasian beavers, and not North American beavers.
  • There may be as many as 10 beavers currently living on the river Otter – the source of the beavers is unknown.  They are the first confirmed breeding population in England for several hundred years.
  • A trial involving wild beavers has been undertaken in Argyll, Scotland by the Scottish Wildlife Trust since 2007.  Its findings have been submitted to the Scottish Parliament with a decision on the future of wild beavers in Scotland expected in May 2015. 
  • Since 2011 Devon Wildlife Trust has run its own captive beaver trial at a securely enclosed location in west Devon.  The trial has studied the animals’ impacts on water flows, water quality and aquatic wildlife. These beavers are not the source of the wild population on the River Otter.
  • Beavers are large rodents and can weigh over 25kg – the size of a spaniel dog.
  • Beavers have 2-3 kits (young) per year and live in close-knit family groups and are highly territorial.
  • Beavers live in ‘lodges’ constructed of mud and harvested timber.  These can be located on the riverside or under banks and are accessed from tunnels under the water level.
  • Beavers are aquatic mammals and rarely move more than 30m from a watercourse in search of food.
  • Beavers are strict herbivores and do not eat fish.
  • Beavers largely eat herbaceous vegetation during the summer months and rely on woody shoots during the winter – they coppice trees to reach leaves and young fresh shoots and bark and use branches to build dams.
  • Beavers do not have a significant impact on agriculture or forestry.  They can however have localised impacts and will eat certain crops – such as maize and root vegetables – however they will only do so in areas close to water and can often be excluded using a proven range of techniques. 
  • Beavers only build dams where water is shallow – they do this to easily reach vegetation in the surroundings.
  • No beaver dams have yet been built anywhere within the River Otter catchment.
  • Beaver dams have a significant impact on slowing down water run-off during periods of both flood and low water.  Actively managed beavers dams generally stay in place during flood events with water flowing over the top.  Where dams have been abandoned by beavers their deterioration is slow and unlikely to cause any problems.
  • Beavers generally have a positive impact on fish populations creating pools and refuges for fish and their fry.  Beaver dams may impede the passage of migratory fish – this impact will be investigated as part of the project.
  • The beavers on the river Otter will be tested to ensure they do not present a disease risk to humans and livestock.
  • Beavers have the potential to carry a similar range of diseases to our native mammals.  There are certain non-native diseases that beavers in the UK could carry if they have been imported.  The River Otter Beaver Trial and Animal and Plant Health Agency will test the health of the River Otter beavers.
  • Devon Wildlife Trust’s monitoring project will measure the impact that these beavers have on the local environment, on the local economy and on local people.  The evidence from elsewhere shows that beavers should have an overwhelmingly positive effect, but this is the first time the animals will be living in a well-populated, agriculturally productive English landscape for hundreds of years.  Devon Wildlife Trust will work alongside the Environment Agency, local authorities and landowners.