This royal throne of kings, this sceptred isle,
This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,
This other Eden, demi-paradise,
This fortress built by Nature for herself
Against infection and the hand of war,
This happy breed of men, this little world,
This precious stone set in the silver sea,
Which serves it in the office of a wall
Or as a moat defensive to a house,
Against the envy of less happier lands,—
This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England.
William Shakespeare, King Richard II. Act ii. Sc. 1.
Guess whose been feeling left out of the beaver benefit bagatelle? No sibling is happy when their brother gets something they don’t. Apparently the English are looking anxiously over their shoulders at the plaid reintroduction in Scotland and thinking, “why shouldn’t we have beavers too?” Why indeed. A just released study by Natural England addressed this very question, and last night its findings were released on national news.
Beavers could be successfully reintroduced in many parts of England, a conservation body has argued. Natural England says a study has shown beavers, already set for reintroduction in Scotland, could boost wildlife and reduce flooding, among other benefits.
The creatures have already been successfully reintroduced in parts of Europe and the feasibility study for Natural England, which advises the government on conservation issues, and the People’s Trust for Endangered Species said reintroduction could be possible in many parts of England.
Professor John Gurnell, one of the report’s authors, said beavers acted as “ecosystem engineers” and could provide many benefits. They sometimes build dams to stabilise the water levels around their burrows and channels for foraging, which can slow rivers and control flooding, purify water and increase the number of plant and animal species in the habitat.
The entire 119 page report is downloadable here. It has amazing references, including a list of all the beaver reintroductions done in europe over the last 100 years. I’m still enjoying it slowly, but here’s a lovely introduction:
1.8. Why reintroduce beavers to Britain? The reasons put forward include (e.g. see Macdonald & Tattersall 1999, Coles 2006):
- Beavers are part of Britain’s native fauna;
- Beavers have been lost entirely by the activity of humans;
- As a member of the European Community, Britain has a responsibility to carry out studies on the desirability of reintroducing species that have become extinct (Beavers are listed on Annex III of the Bern Convention, and on Annexes II and IV of the EC `Habitats and Species’ Directive in 1992. The Directive aspires to achieve a favourable conservation status of the priority habitats and species listed in its annexes.);
- Beavers are a keystone species they are frequently called ecosystem engineers and act as „natural managers of riparian, wetland and forest ecosystems;
- Beavers are inherently interesting to humans and could be a flagship species for raising awareness about nature conservation
- Beavers fulfil philosophical and aesthetic ideals associated with returning native species to the wild.
The highlight is mine, but that has sure proven true for lots of us. The entire study is a fantastic scholarly treatise to argue against beaver-nay-sayers. I’m a little troubled by the BBC farm representative who argues that any beaver introduction plan “has to have an exit strategy”.
Exit strategy?!? It’s not like you’re invading another country and trying to establish a democratic government, for goodness sake. You’re inviting back a guest to your home that you previously annihilated. Do you think you forgot how to kill beavers in the interim? Or do you think that public opinion has changed so that your old weapons will no longer be acceptable? I have an exit strategy for you. It’s called education. Learn about the benefit that beavers bring, learn how to deal with any problems they cause, and learn how the land is changed without them. Then your old ideas and fears can “exit” quietly.
(Exeunt Pursued by a Bear. My favorite Shakespeare stage direction. Oh that’s right, you have no bears left in England either)
The report concludes its time to move forward to Phase II of beaver reintroduction:
12.10. The way seems clear to move to a second phase of consultation and actions concerning beaver reintroductions to England, focusing on education of the wider public about beavers, investigating specific candidate sites for releasing beavers, drawing up detailed management plans and costings, and, if agreed by all interested parties, releasing beavers within the umbrella of pilot studies.
I’m ready for phase two. The entire report is thrilling read and I can’t wait to get back to it. Thanks beaver friend MG in the UK for sending it my way.
Oh and beaver spotting last night: Dad and two kits. I think I’ve figured out their devious scheme to repair the primary dam. “Don’t repair it” They are letting the secondary dam raise the water level until the primary dam stops leaking and doesn’t matter anymore. Brilliant. The Hay Fairy came too, and brought potential bedding for all, thank you very much!
