1 June 2019 | New Scientist | 29FOR over 400 years, this sight on
a farm in Wales would have been
impossible. Beavers were hunted
to extinction in the UK by the
1600s for their fur, meat and scent
glands. Now, they are on their way
back. This beaver is one of six that
make up three breeding pairs kept
in captivity at the Bevis Trust, a
117-hectare farm and conservation
project in Carmarthenshire.
The photo is from Rewilding
(William Collins) by photographer
David Woodfall, dubbed the
“poet laureate” of his field.
In 2015, the trust applied to
Natural Resources Wales to release
10 pairs into the wild, along two
rivers in south-west Wales, the
Conwy and Nant Cennin. But in
April, it withdrew the application,
frustrated by bureaucracy.
Beaver reintroductions are
sometimes resisted by landowners
and farmers because the animals
may damage drainage systems,
riverbanks and trees. But scientists
see their value in natural flood
control and as powerful agents
of rewilding. Beavers rapidly
change the landscape, benefiting
biodiversity. In just four years, the
Bevis beavers created 30 ponds, a
feat it took staff 30 years to match.
Wales may yet get wild beavers,
as the trust has applied to release
them further north. While they
wait, those on the Welsh farm are
breeding and supplying animals
to other projects around Britain.
Like it or not, beavers will
be back. ❚Beaver away
Photographer David Woodfall
davidwoodfallimages.co.ukGraham LawtonLike wildlife photography?
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