Beavers moved from conflict areas in Tayside ‘now thriving’
AROUND 90% of beavers removed from conflict areas in Tayside last year were moved to new homes after a huge effort to relocate families and help expand the population across Scotland, new figures show.
The latest Naturescot report on beaver management shows that 85 beavers were removed to prevent serious damage to agriculture in the period from January 2023 to April 2024 – down from 108 in 2022.
Of these, 77 animals were trapped and moved to licensed projects, compared with 45 in the previous year.
Just eight beavers were killed under licence over the 16-month period, down from 63 in the calendar year 2022.
The proportion of beavers that were trapped and moved was therefore 90% over the period, a large increase from 42% in 2022 and 28% in 2021.
The reduction in lethal control reflects the extensive efforts that have gone into increasing trapping by Naturescot staff working hard with land managers, the Beaver Trust, and Five Sisters Zoo.
A total of 40 beavers were released in Scotland, with families moved to both the Cairngorms and Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Parks as well as numerous population reinforcements in Tayside, Forth and Knapdale.
Records suggest the population is also continuing to expand naturally in parts of Tayside, the wider Forth area, and into West Lothian and Fife, with some evidence of dispersal from Knapdale and in the Highlands.
Donald Fraser, Naturescot’s head of wildlife management, said: “A huge amount of hard work has happened over the last 16 months and significant progress has been made with the support of land managers and our partners the Beaver Trust and Five Sisters Zoo.
“More beavers have been moved to suitable areas across Scotland and the population is continuing to expand.
“The low number of beavers killed over this period is welcome, although it’s important to note that the numbers of beavers which will need to be removed from areas will vary from year to year, as beavers continue to increase and expand their range.
“With numbers now likely to be above 2,000, we’ll be carrying out further survey work from this winter to provide an up-to-date population estimate.
“We are also developing a plan for future release sites in line with Scotland’s Beaver Strategy and we encourage any interested land managers and communities to get in touch with our beaver team.”
Naturescot also responded to an increased number of enquiries from land managers through its Beaver Mitigation Scheme in 2023/24. Staff provided support, advice and targeted mitigation in 84 separate cases. A recent report found that beavers reintroduced to a Scottish rainforest may have created the “right conditions” for another native species to flourish, according to conservationists.
Water voles, once abundant in Scotland but now one of the country’s most threatened native animals, could thrive in the “complex boundary between water and land” that beavers have created in Knapdale.
The beavers’ dam-building in the forest has led to the creation of a new “edge habitat” along watercourses, where water voles can dig burrows hidden from predatory mink.
Water voles are also “eco-engineers” that could, in turn, create conditions for wildflowers to flourish.
Beavers, which were hunted to extinction in the 16th century, were reintroduced to Knapdale in 2009 during the Scottish Beaver Trial.
Mr Fraser added: “Beavers are ecosystem engineers, creating habitats such as ponds and wetlands where other species thrive, as well as moderating water flows and improving water quality.
“In doing so, they play an important role in helping to restore biodiversity and respond to the climate emergency in Scotland.
“We know that beavers can occasionally cause issues, and as the population continues to expand, our Beaver Mitigation Scheme will continue to be available to help land managers if any problems arise.”
Beavers are creating habitats such as ponds and wetlands where other species thrive