Scottish Farmers Damn Wild Beaver Reintroduction Policy
{Wild Beaver Reintroduction Policy – They say farmers and landowners or managers should be involved in policy decisions. Should they? I dont think so just yet – Earth and Leaf editorial}
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Scottish farmers damn wild beaver reintroduction policy
Farmers and landowners or managers should be involved in policy decisions. Farmers role in our environment must be redefined and then they must be acknowledged and compensated appropriately.
As night falls in central Scotland, beavers appear in a pond under the fascinated gaze of a group of nature enthusiasts.
Beavers are “ecosystem engineers”, whose activities can alleviate flooding, improve water quality and boost wildlife.
But the visitors’ delight is not shared by everyone in the region, where the industrious tree-felling mammals have caused much consternation among farmers and gardeners.
Beavers, which had disappeared from Scotland for around 400 years due to hunting, were reintroduced in the wild in 2009.
Ten years later, to the dismay of some farmers and landowners, the herbivorous rodents were designated a protected species.
Wildlife visits to see the animals in their natural habitat are now popular and bring in revenue.
Should farmers be involved in wild beaver reintroduction policy, we dont think so just yet. Theres a lot of education to be done – see Shepherds of the Trees
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