Fifteen families of beavers have been granted permanent rights to remain in their new homes on the River Otter in East Devon.
These are the first beavers to live in the wild in England for centuries after they were introduced as part of a trial carried out by Devon Wildlife Trust.
In 2013 a family of beavers were found to be living on the River Otter and were originally threatened with removal, but Devon Wildlife Trust along with the help of community groups sought to protect them and got a licence for a five year trial to allow the beavers to remain. How this family of beavers got there initially still remains a mystery, however their reintroduction has been a success with the trial showing that their presence increased fish biomass and water quality in the river. The dams built by the beavers also worked as natural flood defences which helped to reduce the risk of flooding further downstream.
The project sought to get local people and farmers involved, explaining to them the benefits of beavers in the local habitat, and offering support when needed. Landowners were initially concerned after localised flooding occurred in some farm land due to dams, but the reintroduction team provided them with support to resolve any issues.
Some still remain sceptical about the beavers reintroduction such as Chair of the Environment Forum at the National Farmers' Union, Phil Jarvis: ''Beavers can have a significant local impact on the countryside and farming; from creating dams that can undermine riverbanks, to impeding farmland drainage with waterlogged fields becoming unsuitable for grazing and cropping; all lead to serious implications on our ability to produce food. We must see a well-thought through exit strategy if any major issues occur.''
However many are excited to welcome beavers back to the English countryside, Devon Wildlife Trusts Director of Conservation called the decision to allow the beavers permanent right to remain: ''the most ground-breaking government decision for England's wildlife in a generation.'' He added: ''Beavers are nature's engineers and have the unrivalled ability to breathe new life into our rivers.''
Chief Executive of the Wildlife and Countryside Link, Richard Benwell, commented: ''It’s great to see that the reintroduction of beavers in this trial has resulted in a win-win for the local area, boosting wildlife and tackling man-made problems. The trial clearly proves the benefits of nature-based solutions to dealing with flooding, water quality and resilience to climate change. We hope to see more such welcome projects introduced by government as part of flooding, water and climate planning.''
