BBC Wildlife - UK (2020-09)

September 2020

DAMBUILDING
Beaversconstruct
multipledamswithin
theirterritories,
extendingthem
overtime.

BBC Wildlife 43

SOPHIEPAVELLEisa zoologist

andleadscommunicationsforthe

BeaverTrust.

FINDOUTMORE Informationaboutthe

Devonbeavertrial:bit.ly/DWT-beavers.

Learnmoreaboutbeaversonourwebsite:

discoverwildlife.com/beavers

Britain?TheRiverOtterBeaverTrial

hasre-definedourapproachtorewilding.

Championingscience,communication,

trustandstakeholdercollaborationatthe

heartofdecisionmaking,it clarifiesthe

oftenmurkyrelationshipbetweennature

andpeople– representingtheverybest

ofBritishconservation.Reintroducing

beaverstoa landscapeis inescapably

complex,buta returntothewaythings

oughttobe.

Mark.“But,if you’regoingtohave

beavers,youmustallowspace.”

A keyconcernwithintheagricultural

sectoris thefuturemanagementofa

landscapesharedwithbeavers.The

BeaverManagementStrategyFramework

accompaniedtheScienceandEvidence

ReportpresentedtoDefra.Notonlydoesit

extensivelyoutlineDevonWildlifeTrust’s

responsetoconflictsontheOtter,butit

offersa blueprintofhowlandownerson

anyrivercanaccommodatebeaverssafely.

“There’snaturaltension,”Markadmits,

“betweenwhathumanswantoutofa

landscapeandwhatbeaverswanttodotoit.”

Beaverscanworkwithfarmers,retaining

soilinheadwaters,filteringnitratesand

pollution,sometimesthreefold,fromour

watercourses.Treeguardsinlocalorchards

havepreventedthemfromfeedingon

windfallfruit.Wherewaterlogging

preventstractorsandharvestersaccessing

fields,damshavebeenactivelyremoved

orreduced,someinstalledwithharmless

‘beaverdeceivers’– a fencepairedwitha

pipesystem– thatsneakwaterawayfrom

beaversanddeterfurtherdamming.

Backbypopulardemand

“Thethingaboutbeavers,isthatpeople

lovethem,”saysMark,referringtothe

trial’slatestpublicperceptionsurvey,

where 90 percentofrespondentswanted

thespeciestostay.Localpubsandthe

famousOttertonMillregularlyreporta

boostintradefromvisitorseagertolearn

aboutthebeaverproject.“Thosewhoaren’t

sokeenoftenhavemisunderstandings

aboutwhatbeaversactuallydo.”

NowthattheGovernmenthasallowed

thebeaversontheRiverOttertostay,what

doesthefutureholdforthespeciesin

POOLCREATION

Waterisheldbehindthedam,

reducingfloodingdownstream

andsupportingpondlife.

BEFORE...

Thelandscapepriorto

thebeavers’arrival.

SLEEPINGQUARTERS

Beaverssituatetheirlodges

ontheriverbankorinthe

safetyofdeepwaterpools.

REROUTING

WATERWAYS

Newchannelsdiverge

fromthedamand

canalsaredugout

tohelpthebeavers

movearound.

FLOODEDAREAS

Waterloggingin

adjacentfields

encourageswetland

plantslikesoftrushes.

Illustration by Stuart Jackson-Carter

BEAVERS