Scottish farmers condemn policy to reintroduce wild beavers June 19, 2024

Beavers were reintroduced to the wild in Scotland in 2009 Photo: Andy Buchanan

By AFP - Agence France Presse

Scottish farmers condemn policy to reintroduce wild beavers

At nightfall in central Scotland, beavers appear on a loch under the fascinated gaze of a group of nature enthusiasts.

Beavers are "ecosystem engineers" whose activities can alleviate flooding, improve water quality and stimulate wildlife.

But the visitors' joy is not shared by everyone in the region, where the industrious tree-felling mammals have caused much gnashing of teeth among farmers and gardeners.

The beavers, which had disappeared from Scotland for around 400 years due to hunting, were reintroduced to the wild in 2009.

Ten years later, to the dismay of some farmers and landowners, the herbivorous rodents were designated a protected species.

Wildlife tours to see the animals in their natural habitat are now popular and generate income.

"We saw a lot of them today. I feel very privileged," said Catriona Morrison, Gaelic policy manager at Historic Environment Scotland, after a "safari" at Argaty Farm, north of Stirling.

Argaty is home to endangered red squirrels, as well as beavers, which can reach a meter in length and weigh up to 19 kilos.

Semi-aquatic marsh dwellers who build dams have been relocated there after causing serious damage to nearby farmland.

Argaty's owner, Lynn Bower, is enthusiastic about them, especially as the farm track no longer floods during the winter months.

"It used to flood to a depth of about 1.2 meters and we had to rebuild it every winter," she told AFP.

"As one of the beaver families is above that, they built dams, which retain the water and don't flood.

"They've increased the wetland area magnificently and the benefit to the other wildlife, from very small things like dragonflies and frogs to bats and all those kinds of things, is incredibly rapid and wonderful."

There were almost 1,000 beavers in Scotland in 2020-21, according to NatureScot, the public body responsible for Scotland's natural heritage.

Their numbers have grown because they have no natural predators in the region.

NatureScot highlights the role of beavers in increasing biodiversity and protecting against floods by cutting down trees, digging burrows and channels, and building dams. Some landowners believe that the presence of beavers is beneficial because they can help prevent flooding.

But, as in the case of many wildlife reintroductions, the picture is complex and not everyone is so enthusiastic.

"They're wonderful engineers, but there's no place for them in Scotland," said Douglas Neill, a farmer, as he watched the trucks rebuilding an embankment that protected his land from flooding from the River Tay.

The embankment collapsed in October last year because of burrows dug by beavers, turning his potato field into a lake, he explained.

The barns that can store up to 3,000 tons of vegetables are empty, he added.

"The greens want the beavers, but do they think about what we're going to eat?" he asked, estimating the damage to his property at more than £2.0 million (US$2.5 million).

"If we want to continue producing our food, the solution is eradication," he said.

NatureScot says the key is to manage different interests.

It offers professional support to people suffering beaver damage, with measures such as fencing off vulnerable areas, protecting individual trees, "more innovative techniques" or, as a last resort, lethal control of excessive numbers.

In nearby Perthshire, in the Southern Highlands, a lady points out the dozens of trees felled in the woods above her house.

The beavers diverted the water flowing into a ditch with their dams and built huge lodges on a lake that now houses four families.

"When we realized we had beavers, we thought it was fantastic. They're so sweet. We didn't realize it at the time," she said, refusing to give her name because the issue is so controversial.

She doesn't want to see "hugger beavers" on her land, due to the damage caused to the trees, and is at a loss as to what to do

"We've lost so many trees... Beavers can easily destroy a tree in one night," she added.

Martin Kennedy, president of the National Farmers' Union in Scotland, wants "total exclusion areas" to protect agricultural production.

NatureScot says it understands the farmers' difficulties and is monitoring the beaver population to "identify how people and ecosystems can benefit most from the presence" of the animals.

Slaughtering beavers is an option, but only as a last resort, under strict conditions, it says.

A total of 52 licenses were granted in 2022 and a few dozen animals were killed.

The Scottish government in Edinburgh, which has delegated powers over environmental policy, can transfer the beavers to other places in Scotland.

They have also been moved south of the border to England.

"I feel sorry for these gentlemen," said Neill. "They have no idea what's coming. They're going to have it for the next five to ten years."

By Caroline TAÏX

ctx/gmo/phz/gil