Returning beavers to Glen Affric

Returning beavers to Glen Affric - Trees for Life

Following community consultation, native species could officially return to famous glen 400 years after being driven to extinction.
Rewilding charity Trees for Life – working on behalf of a partnership that includes government agency Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) and four private landowners – is to apply for a government licence to reintroduce beavers to Glen Affric in the Scottish Highlands, following an extensive community consultation.

two beavers in the shallows with leafy vegetation behind them — Photo: Scotland The Big Picture

The application will be developed over the coming months and submitted to NatureScot for approval – which if given could see reintroductions take place in Loch Beinn a’ Mheadhoin as early as autumn this year. This would be the first official release of beavers to the northwest Highlands since the species was driven to extinction 400 years ago.
The application must include a monitoring and management plan to track how reintroduced beavers progress over time, which will be developed with local community input as part of a management approach for the area. Up to three groups of beavers would be relocated by the Beaver Trust from lower Tayside, where the animals would otherwise be culled.
The decision to take the proposal to the next stage follows a detailed community consultation, carried out by Trees for Life since last summer on behalf of four private landowners and FLS, who all manage land in the glen with suitable beaver habitat.
“We’ve worked hard to ensure an inclusive, considered consultation, with all voices having the chance to be listened to. This has been key to our recommendations going forwards, and we’re very grateful to everyone who took part,” said Alan McDonnell, Conservation Manager at Trees for Life." The return of beavers to Glen Affric would be a story of hope and renewal. These remarkable animals can help us tackle the nature and climate emergencies. Their dams create nature-rich wetlands that also absorb carbon, reduce flooding downstream and improve water quality. We believe it is important that the community is closely involved in following how these animals progress into the future.”