SEVEN beavers have been released in a wild Highland glen in a major step forward for the drive to restore the animals to Scotland’s landscape.
The release in Glen Affric, deep in the north Highlands, was the first by Government woodland agency Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS), and was only the second in Scotland outside the animals’ existing legally-recognised range.
It was the first north of the Great Glen, taking the animals around 40 miles further into the north Highlands, to further the Scottish Government’s aim of spreading the animals nationwde.
And it was made after fierce opposition by local farmers to the idea, which was first put forward by the conservation charity Trees For Life (TfL) three years ago.
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But as the release took place, the charity and FLS both insisted that measures are now in place to deal with any problems the beavers might bring.
TfL has worked with FLS to consult the local community on the release on FLS land on the shores of Loch Beinn a’ Mheadhoin, about ten miles up the glen from the village of Cannich.
Prolonged discussions were needed. The majority of local people are said to support the reintroduction, despite the views of land managers, but the conflict came to a head last year when one angry landowner opposed to the beaver release had to be asked to leave a consultation session about the proposal.
A licence was eventually issued earlier this year by government wildlife agency NatureScot for the release of four pairs or families of beavers in the area.
On Friday a male and a female captured in Tayside were released on a site half-way down the loch, with an invited audience of conservationists and others.
Dr Roisin Campbell-Palmer from the Beaver Trust charity removes problem animals mainly in Tayside, where a large wild population now has protected status after illegal reintroductions more than 20 years ago.
She brought the beavers to Glen Affric and said the pair had been removed from low-lying farmland where they were causing problems by damming drainage ditches.
Later a family of five animals including kits that she had trapped was released further up the glen.
Campbell Palmer said: “This is a stunning loch, there’s lots of woodland all the way around it. It’s great habitat for beavers and I think they’ll be very happy here.”
Farmers fear the animals will burrow into river banks if they spread to areas lower down the valley, causing flooding on scarce flat ground they use for silage, hay and grazing.
But the team behind the scheme say there are measures in place to deal with problems. Beavers causing problems to farmers here could be removed if necessary.
Alex McLeod, north regional manager for FLS, said: “It's a great day because this has been a fairly long road.”
He pointed out the environmental benefits beavers can bring by damming areas, allowing insect-friendly wetlands to develop and cleaning water: “We'll see benefits for fish and otters, plant life increase, and benefits for birds and mammals. And it’ll help with carbon because the work that the beavers do will help sequester carbon.”
He added: “Not everyone supports what's happening here today, and FLS is going to set up and chair a beaver monitoring and mitigation group. People can early on raise any concerns and issues and the forum can work together to collectively put steps in place to mitigate those. There will come a point hopefully in the years ahead where beavers within the Affric landscape just become natural and very much integral.”
Steve Micklewright, chief executive of TfL, said: “It’s amazing to stand on the shore and watch beavers be released and come back to Glen Africa after 400 years.
“There's been a split in the community about the return of beavers ...There's been a lot of opposition. Politicians have got involved in that as well.
“But two-thirds of the people that live here do support the return of beavers, and we've set up everything that we possibly can do to make sure that if there are ever any problems, we can deal with it quickly."
He said some wild beavers already live lower down the glen - although it is not regarded as part of their existing range by the Government - and added: “They've been there for at least 15 years and there’s never been a problem so far.
“FLS, NatureScot, and Trees for Life are working to ensure that if there was ever a problem, we can deal with it so that beavers and humans can survive and coexist together,” he added.
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