‘Bring back beavers’ – call from John Muir Trust
A national wildlife organisation is calling on the Scottish Government to back the reintroduction of beavers to the countryside as a step towards creating a wilder Scotland.
The John Muir Trust wants the Eurasian beaver to return as a native species following a five-year trial at Knapdale Forest, Argyll, which ended in May 2014.
Later this year the government’s environment minister will decide whether to reintroduce beavers after considering the results of the trial.
A series of independent scientific research projects were carried out into the effects of the beavers on the area during the trial, which was led by the Scottish Wildlife Trust and the Royal Zoological Society.
Beavers were once native to Scotland but died out because of hunting and habitat loss.
The trust has also launched a new policy statement declaring its support for the principle of “rewilding” large areas of land across the UK.
Stuart Brooks, trust chief executive, said: “The trust has taken a rewilding approach to the management of its properties for 30 years, long before the term was coined. Rewilding is about intervening to repair damage and restart natural processes – for example, by managing deer to allow native woodlands to regenerate; or by re-introducing missing species, such as beavers, that perform key functions in our ecosystems. That in turn will ultimately allow nature to take its own course and be more resilient in the face of climate change.
“It is not about excluding people, imposing unwanted policies on rural communities or damaging peoples’ livelihoods. We recognise that rewilding is not suitable everywhere, for example, in areas of high agricultural value.
The John Muir Trust is in Scotland, not Martinez. And guess who used to be a board member? That’s right, Paul Ramsey of the free Tay beaver campaign. Muir grew up in Dunbar Scotland before he came to America with his family and settled in Wisconsin. He came to Martinez much later where he married, wrote, raised children and lived the last 25 years of his life. Martinez of the famous beavers. If that isn’t enough of a coincidence, consider the fact that I was invited to be on the John Muir board for the historic site by Igor Skareoff who I met while working on the beaver subcommittee. And was able to show research in the last couple of years proving that the author of the most famous beaver book ever written came to Martinez to visit Muir in 1908.
Muir didn’t write about beaver. That shouldn’t surprise you. He probably never saw one. They were trapped out of Scotland 400 years before he was born. And by the time his family got to Wisconsin they were gone as well. When he came to Martinez and did his famous treks to Yosemite, beaver were already nearly extinct in California. But I’m convinced that if he had occasion to spend time watching beaver and their works, he would have been staunch defender.
John Muir’s birthday is coming up, and we’ll be celebrating it and Earth day at the annual event at his home. You should really plan to stop by and see the amazing exhibits from all over Northern California, and the conservation awards being given to our friends. The keynote speaker is Beth Pratt of the National Wildlife Federation whom you will also know from the festival. And we’ll be doing a beaver booth and art project helping children make totem poles.
It should be a dam good time.
