The return of beavers to England after being hunted to near extirpation 400 years ago could help hard-pressed households by bringing down water bills.
Photograph: Barry Batchelor/PAAccording to an independent scientific study, beavers are natural engineers and help to clean rivers and prevent flooding.Their presence would save spending on expensive treatment works and other flood defences as well as the benefit of lower charges, researchers say.
The study for Natural England, the Government’s wildlife advisers, and the People’s Trust for Endangered Species, raises the prospect of an eventual return of this shy, nocturnal creature to almost any English river, even the western reaches of the Thames in London.
Resistance comes from landowners and farmers concerned about damage to trees and culverts, the spread of disease, a rise in sightseers traipsing over private land and hefty costs for fencing.
But despite the opposition, South West Water is keen to use beavers to help to purify drinking water. Researchers point to their role in creating upstream ponds that capture sediment and other organic matter. Other benefits are identified in terms of bio-diversity, with cleaner waters providing improved conditions for fish spawning.
John Gurnell, a wildlife biologist from Queen Mary College, London University, who led the research, described beavers as “eco-system engineers”. He said: “The potential for them to give benefits to the country at large is quite enormous.” Water quality, the effects of flooding and river levels during drought would all be helped, with the added hope of lower bills, he added.
He wanted the study to demolish the myths about beavers. “Most negative effects are probably more minor than major,” he said, and any damage to some small trees or culverts could easily be dealt with by fencing.
He denied that beavers were a theat to human health. “We don’t recommend hugging beavers even though they are mild-mannered, gentle and docile, but they have teeth.”
Tom Tew, chief scientist for Natural England, said people should not fear beavers: “They are wild animals, they are shy and secretive, and anyone fortunate to see one would be honoured and privileged. They are not aggressive.”
Even though beavers largely died out in England in the 16th century, a few natives survived until the 1900s and about 40 are in captivity at five locations. They live in the wild in most of Europe, however, and in Vienna they live on river banks close to the city.
The most likely scenario for a comeback in England is to introduce three or four families — about 20 beavers — on a single site. Costs could top £1 million.
Best suited areas for a colony are along river banks in the Weald of Kent, the New Forest, Bodmin Moor, the Peak District and Forest of Bowland.
Beavers 'have positive effect' on rivers and wildlife after centuries of extinction
Landowners claim dam-building increases chances of flooding, while conservationists say mammal increases biodiversity
John Vidal, guardian.co.uk 18 Mar 09;
Beavers could be successfully re-introduced to England and could help restore and conserve rivers and floodplains, according to the government's ecological advisers. But convincing landowners and other countryside groups of their benefits could mean it is many years before the furry mammals and their distinctive dams are seen again in the wild.
A major scientific study of all English rivers has identified the New Forest in Hampshire, Bodmin Moor in Cornwall, the Peak District, the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire, the Weald of Kent and the Lake District as the six areas with the most suitable habitats. Beavers need 2km lengths of river away from human populations, water at least 60cm deep and ideally, willow and poplar trees on the river bank.
Despite their notoriety for nibbling their way through trees to create their immense dams, according to the report by Natural England and conservation charity People's Trust for Endangered Species, they could have a significant, but largely positive effect on English rivers and wildlife. Studies from all over the world have shown that they can increase the variety of plants, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians, as well as mammals such as water voles, otters and shrews. Their dam-building habit can also increase flooding, damage crops and may affect some fish populations.
Beavers were a natural part of the British countryside until they were hunted to extinction for their fur and the secretion from their scent glands that was believed to have medicinal properties. They mostly died out in the 16th century although there is evidence some hung on until the 18th century in some northern rivers. Several beavers are to be introduced to a remote part of Scotland in May following a 10-year long battle between conservationists and landowners, and there are plans to reintroduce them in Wales.
Reintroductions have been successfully made in most mainland European countries but the report says there needs to be needs to be wide public consultation before going ahead in England. "There is a strong feasibility that beavers could do well in England. But they are not going to come for some time. Reintroducing them is time consuming and expensive. They could have a range of environmental benefits but could only be reintroduced under the right conditions," said Tom Tew, Natural England's chief scientist.
No formal applications have been made to Natural England to release any, but a number of conservation groups are known to be interested. Polls suggest that the public would be in favour, but many landowers and farmers are dubious.
"The English countryside has changed enormously since beavers were last seen here in large numbers," said the Country Landowners Association president Henry Aubrey-Fletcher. "We have a landscape unlike that of much of the rest of the world — one that has been actively farmed for hundreds of years.
"Our biggest concern is where the beaver would fit into today's modern, working English countryside. Beavers will destroy crops — particularly wheat and maize. Dams will restrict movement and migration. Beavers will damage woodlands by felling some trees and gnawing the bark away from others. And beaver burrows will damage river banks and their dams will increase the risk of flooding."
Andrea Graham, the National farmers Union Countryside adviser, said consultation with stakeholders would be crucial. "We recognise that European beavers may benefit river habitat creation and biodiversity, [but] we are concerned that beaver sites may conflict with future planning or development. They should receive no statutory protection like badgers."
Beavers could improve countryside, claims Natural England
Beavers could return to the English countryside after an official report found the animals boost wildlife populations and prevent flooding.
Louise Gray, The Telegraph 18 Mar 09;
The animals were hunted to extinction in England and Wales during the 12th century and disappeared from the rest of the country 400 years later.
But according to a new study by Natural England, the agency in charge of the countryside, beavers could thrive on any river in Britain, including waterways around towns and cities.
The semi-aquatic creatures, that eat trees and vegetation, build dams to stabilise water levels around their burrows and create channels for foraging, the study noted.
This not only provides new habitats for other wildlife but reduces the risk of flooding by slowing the flow of water.
By creating ponds where sediment sinks to the bottom the beavers cut water-borne pollution therefore reducing the degree to which the water companies need to purify the water further downstream.
The scientific report boosts the case for reintroduction and is likely to lead to a number of applications by conservationists to release around 20 beavers in the wild in the next few years at a cost of millions of pounds.
Landowners, however, warned beavers could destroy crops and damage woodland and there have already been problems where captive beavers have escaped.
There is currently a beaver reintroduction pilot scheme in Scotland and a further programme is being considered in Wales.
The study for Natural England and the People's Trust for Endangered Species said it would also be feasible to introduce the species into England.
Suggested areas included the Weald of Kent, the New Forest, Bodmin Moor and the Lake District although any river in England would be suitable, including waterways in towns and cities such as London. South west London is cited as suitable for beavers in the report, however the level of human habitat would make it unlikely.
The scheme would cost millions of pounds in measures to control the animals. However there would also be cost benefits such as stabilising river banks or by keeping river levels up in low-flowing areas to help nearby wildlife and agriculture.
John Gurnell, professor of biological sciences at Queen Mary, University of London and author of the report, said beavers could even reduce water bills. He said studies in Germany have proved that the animals reduce pollution in the water by building networks of ponds where sediment can settle.
"It would reduce general pollution in water and could reduce water company bills," he said.
South West Water have already expressed an interest in a reintroduction scheme as well as a number of conservation bodies.
Dr Tom Tew, chief scientist at Natural England, any plan for reintroduction would be considered carefully.
"Beavers could have a range of environmental benefits but could only be reintroduced in the right conditions," he said.
But Henry Aubrey-Fletcher, President of the Country Land and Business Association, said the rodents would destroy crops, cause flooding and damage woodland.
"Our biggest concern is where the beaver would fit into today's modern, working English countryside," he said. "At a time when we should all be working to protect supplies of food and the natural environment, it seems ridiculous to be introducing a species that would threaten both.
"Beavers will destroy crops – particularly wheat and maize. Dams will restrict movement and migration. Beavers will damage woodlands by felling some trees and gnawing the bark away from others. And beaver burrows will damage river banks and their dams will increase the risk of flooding."
Beavers have already caused division in communities where the creatures have escaped or gone missing and felled trees.