Beavers' return to Scotland comes one step closer

Published on Sunday 10 June 2007 00:12

It is more than 400 years since beavers last negotiated the rivers and waterways of Scotland.

But a major step forward has been taken in preparing for the creatures, which were hunted to extinction, to be reintroduced.

The EU has paid for a party of Scottish nature experts to travel to Norway to study beavers in their natural environment.

Cairngorm National Park Authority land management officer Colin McClean, who was on the trip, said:

"In Denmark, where they have recently reintroduced beavers, they have become a popular tourist attraction and I'm sure the same thing would happen in Scotland."

But the Confederation of Forestry Industries is strongly opposed to the reintroduction plan. "Beavers are capable of some fairly disruptive practices in woodland settings," said a spokesman.