Plan to reintroduce beavers to Scotland rejected

Published on Friday 2 September 2005 00:46

MINISTERS have rejected plans to reintroduce beavers into Scotland, a decision that wildlife experts yesterday described as "deeply flawed".

Beavers were a part of Scotland's natural habitat until about 400 years ago, when they were hunted to extinction for their pelts and a gland under their tails that was used in medicine.

Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) presented an application to "re-house" the European beaver (Castor fiber) for five years on a trial site at Knapdale Wildlife Reserve, between the Crinan Canal and Loch Sween. Beavers have been successfully reintroduced in 24 European countries, including France and Bosnia.

Conservationists say that these "river engineers" build lodges, dams, canals and pools that attract a host of wildlife, such as kingfishers, fish and dragonflies.

However, Rhona Brankin, the deputy environment and rural development minister, rejected the application on concerns about damage to part of the wood, which is a European special area of conservation, and SNH's "exit strategy" to remove the beavers, if necessary, which included shooting them. As a protected species, this would be illegal.

Ms Brankin said: "The door is not closed to future reintroduction and I would expect part of the new strategic approach on the conservation framework to include evaluation of possible species reintroduction, as well as work on perceived threats, including those from the introduction of invasive non-native species."

A SNH spokesman said it was disappointed that the application had been turned down. And a source close to the decision said the exit strategy could easily have been altered to include a licence to cull a protected species.

Simon Milne, the chief executive of the Scottish Wildlife Trust, said: "The decision ignores the benefits to ecology and tourism from the project, disregards strong public support, overwhelming scientific evidence and the fact that there have been numerous successful beaver reintroductions across the rest of Europe.

"If the Executive really wanted to undertake this trial, then there are no practical issues that would prevent this. The reasons for rejecting this trial are deeply flawed."