I remember my first real contact with beavers in the wild, 35 years ago, when I was staying on a farm in Jamtland in Sweden. My host, Erik, was a hunter and a farmer who also worked in the local town; his family farm was in beautiful countryside with ospreys, goldeneye ducks and cranes breeding in the bogs; in the forests lived elk and beavers. I remember thinking it was as Scotland should be. One evening, I walked to the sluggish river which ran nearby – and, after a mosquito-tormented stalk, I saw my first beaver. It sensed me, though, and with a slap of its tail it was gone. I sat down on a jumble of beaver-felled birch trees, but my wait was in vain. I asked Erik what he thought about the birch trees felled by the beavers across his track. His reply was so sensible: ‘I wait until winter and then drive down with my tractor and trailer and log up those trees – they are nicely seasoned and ready for my log store. And sometimes I hunt one; would you like beaver for supper tomorrow? I’ll get some out of the deep freeze.’ I thought it tasted good, nicely braised – something between brown hare and roe.
I liked the matter-of-fact way in which he lived with the beavers but he also recognised their value in the wetland ecosystem. That value is what this excellent book is about; it’s written by 12 experts who have brought together a wealth of experience and, most importantly, a mine of information on how we can learn to live with beavers again in the United Kingdom.
I’m so pleased that beavers are back in our country, because I recognise they are essential in helping to manage natural wetland ecosystems. It’s been a long time coming, and much longer than I expected when I was part of the first serious discussions as a main board member of Scottish Natural Heritage back in the early 1990s. A successful scientific trial has been carried out by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland and Scottish Wildlife Trust on land owned by Forestry Commission Scotland, and with scientific input from Scottish Natural Heritage. Beavers, being beavers, have also cropped up on their own in the Tay catchment of Scotland and occasionally elsewhere in Britain. The Scottish Government will soon, I hope, make the decision that this important keystone species should once again be part of our natural fauna, and we can see them restored to their original haunts.
During my wanderings looking at beavers and talking with beaver experts in a variety of European countries, I have been impressed by their knowledge and their understanding of the species within their home countries. They take a common-sense approach of working and living with an animal that can spring a few surprises.
In the pages that follow, the reader can get everything they need to know about the history and ecology of beavers, their impacts on human operations and their value within the ecosystem. This restoring of functioning ecosystems in such a fragile world will be more and more at the centre of our nature-conservation ethos. The authors write on many aspects of how to manage beavers and our activities; from proactive dam management to novel methods of reducing their impact on our interests. There is information on trapping, translocation, culling and many other subjects. It’s always been my view that, to have beavers back throughout Britain, we will need robust management and a rapid response to those who ask for help to act against beavers that cause problems.
The main part of this handbook finishes with learning to live with beavers – and that could be the most important aspect. I believe that it’s crucial for farmer, fisher, forester or any of us to learn to accept that although some species may at times cause us problems, we should remember the myriad species and actions of the natural world that allow us to farm and fish, to grow crops and trees, and to have fresh water and breathe fresh air. We, like the beavers, are part of the great ecosystem we call the Earth. Let us celebrate the return of the water engineer supreme.
Roy Dennis, 2015
Highland Foundation for Wildlife