In July we started a community consultation process on a proposal to release beavers in Glen Affric and Strathglass. We have been carrying out the consultation on behalf of four private landowners and Forestry and Land Scotland, who all own land in the glen that has habitat capable of supporting a beaver population.
Since the consultation launched, we have been engaging with a range of local people to get their views on the proposal, which would translocate beavers to the area from Tayside. Translocation is an alternative to licenced killing of beavers, which is sometimes used to prevent serious damage to farming interests. This has been a pertinent issue in Tayside since beavers arrived there by unofficial means almost 20 years ago.
Our Glen Affric proposal follows on from the new National Beaver Strategy for Scotland, which was announced in September. The new strategy will steer wider national efforts to identify and actively expand the population to new catchments, alongside appropriate management and mitigation, following the Scottish Government’s decision to encourage wider beaver restoration.
The consultation closed on 3 October and has comprised a combination of local drop-in information days, online surveys and face-to-face meetings. We have collected a wide range of views so far, spanning from strong support to real concern. Our task is now to compile a report that accurately reflects these important local views. The four landowners and Forestry and Land Scotland will then review the report and decide how to move forward.
This beaver proposal is one of the first to emerge since the Scottish Government’s announcement last November that beavers will be actively expanded to suitable areas across Scotland. The RSPB has also proposed a translocation to the River Endrick near Loch Lomond, and the Cairngorms National Park Authority has announced that it intends to take the lead in bringing beavers to the National Park over the next couple of years. We can look forward to seeing further proposals emerge in the years ahead.
Amid the excitement many will feel about beavers coming back, respect for concerns and adequate resources for managing impacts on existing land uses will be essential for the long term success of beaver reintroductions across Scotland.
Thank you to Rewilding Europe and Baillie Gifford for generously supporting our beaver proposal consultation.