Reports this morning that the reintroduction of red kites to the Britain has been “one of the most successful reintroduction projects in the world” gives hope to us all.
Next, with Tony Juniper, chair of Natural England hailing their being “strong momentum” for other reintroductions, we today join those backing those working towards returning beavers and white storks also.
Beavers have already been successfully reintroduced in Knapdale, Scotland and on the River Otter in Devon and 13 licences for them have been issued since 2017. Their dams, as with otters also, provide habitats for other species and also store floodwater and filter pollutants.
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Speaking to the Guardian, Juniper remarked: “A very eloquent case has been made by conservationists for the return of the beaver… [Reintroduction will] put back some of the living fabric of our islands that’s been depleted over many years from habitat destruction, persecution and chemical pollution.”
White storks, meanwhile, have fledged chicks in the wild for the first time since 1416 recently also. Though considered “generalist predators,” the White Stork Project declare “[they] could be a means by which we can reignite our affection for the natural world and it could act as an emblem for environmental restoration.” The partnership are aiming for a population of at least 50 breeding pairs in southern England by 2030.
Here, at a time of international crisis, is a ray of hope we should all celebrate and support. All hail the return of the biodiversity boosting beaver.
Readers have their say
5 comments
That’s fantastic, just keep that crazy bitch with a gun, Larysa well clear of them.
Hallelujah! Absolutely right, bring back the beaver. A shortage of beavers is a crime. It must never happen again. Hallelujah!
Beautiful beavers deserve to prosper. Keep Larysa Switlyk and Dr Palmer well away from them.
Matthew,
The red kite revival has been astounding. A decade or more ago they were confined to the Chiltern Hills around Chinnor. Now they have spread into Hertfordshire and can be seen in my town of Berkhamsted and the surrounding countryside. Let’s hope that beavers do as well. You might be interested to know in a recent Lords debate on the Agriculture Bill beavers featured as peers pushed for a conservation policy to expand their population. There was one case of a beaver cull in Scotland after their dams led to the flooding of agricultural land. But instead of killing them they rounded up a number and took them to form a new colony elsewhere!
I am now about to google the difference between beavers and otters. Thanks for highlighting my ignorance, Matthew.