Beaver re-introduction

There is a lot going on in the rural world this week.  SFI, CPO valuations, APR (still).  But to start with, one of the higher-profile stories is the reintroduction of beavers.

Behind The Times paywall is an article about this that quotes me.  If you have access through the paywall, you can find it here: Licence to gnaw: managing the reintroduction of beavers

This is another of those divisive issues.  Beavers were native to Great Britain and their reintroduction is supported by many on the basis it is the physical manifestation of an improvement in our environment and biodiversity.  And they are one of those animals that present well - think of their multiple cartoon representations.  They're cute.

Against that, re-introducing species can be tricky.  Beavers have a well-deserved reputation for their industriousness, and we can assume that their getting to work with watercourses and trees has at least the potential for unexpected and unwanted outcomes. That is probably the main concern for many – if beavers are brought in to an area, they may well thrive and the consequences are presently unknown.  Given the impact of beavers on trees there could also be issues between different nature restoration projects, if new tree planting is seen as a source of materials by the beavers.

DEFRA seem to take this into account in their guidance, as a license is required to re-introduce beavers, and the application for that involves a plan, including an exit plan, in case things do not turn out well.  Against that, the practical view might well be that once a project like this has been established, pressing the undo button may only have a limited effect.

Re-introducing appealing mammals can have effects beyond nature.  Beaver safaris are marketed as a specific attraction at the Trentham Estate, Knepp Estate and the National Trust are amongst those running beaver safaris, and it's easy to see those becoming more widespread.  It's another potential diversification project, and another indicator that rural land does not sit alone in a farming silo, but instead connects with multiple other uses to which land can be put.

Beavers have a well-deserved reputation for their industriousness, and we can assume that their getting to work with watercourses and trees has at least the potential for unexpected and unwanted outcomes.