The Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) has vowed to help restore a “lost” species by taking a lead role in bringing protected beavers to the area.
The decision was made by members at a board meeting on June 10, where CNPA’s role will further help the Scottish Government’s policy to expand the Eurasian beaver population in Scotland.
The board wishes to take on a proactive approach, including managing the application, delivery, mitigation support and monitoring, while working alongside partners.
The meeting follows on from the publication of a CNPA-commissioned study into the likelihood of the park being naturally colonised by Eurasian beavers and the potential benefits and implications.
Eurasian beavers have European Protected Species status and the Scottish Government is supporting translocations as a proactive measure to establish beavers outside of their current range.
CNPA’s head of conservation Dr Sarah Henshall said: “As an organisation we are well positioned to take a leadership role and have in place the Cairngorms Beaver group to provide input to this project.
“The park authority already undertakes a huge amount of conservation work and is therefore well placed to have the right conversations with land managers, communities and organisations.
“A reintroduction of a species to the park is exactly the sort of issue the CNPA was created to lead on.”
However, Dr Henshall did stress that the CNPA’s approach will be collaborative: “We will be doing work around supporting land managers and owners, as well as communities, over the coming year to be well informed and prepared for living with beavers, prior to any application being made to NatureScot.”
By the end of June, NatureScot will identify two or three priority strategic areas for beaver expansion in Scotland and – with partners – are establishing the governance structures, protocols, procedures, and consultation mechanisms to facilitate expansion.
The study focused on natural expansion from existing populations in the catchments of the River Tay and River Forth.
Potential dispersal routes were identified in areas such as Loch Laggan, Loch Ericht and Loch Rannoch and the rivers Truim, Tilt, Garry and the headwaters of the Spey and Isla.
The presence of physical barriers in these locations in the form of dams, hydro schemes and challenging terrain make it unlikely that beavers will make their way to the national park naturally, at least in the short term.
Consideration was also given to whether the national park has enough suitable habitat to support a population of beavers, as well as what the environmental and economic benefits and impacts might be.
Potential opportunities such as increasing the quality of freshwater habitat, natural flood management and the possibility of increased eco-tourism were noted in the report, as well as the potential risks, ranging from the impact on mature aspen stands to the likelihood of dam building and bank erosion, especially highlighting where this overlaps with agricultural and fisheries management interests.
Convener of the CNPA board and Highland ward councillor Xander McDade commented: “I fully support the recommended approach in terms of the park authority’s role in bringing beavers to the Cairngorms National Park.
“Beavers can bring wide ranging benefits to biodiversity and can play an important ecological role in terms of flood mitigation and habitat restoration, whilst also recognising the need for careful management of the species to mitigate impacts on other land uses and species. I think there is a real benefit to taking a leading role, allowing us to dictate the timings for translocations and the pace at which the process is rolled out, ensuring consultation is done properly with a whole catchment approach.”
