Beaver family to be moved to Loch Lomond

RSPB Scotland said the site is an ideal home for the animals.

Beavers are to be moved to Loch Lomond (Ben Birchall/PA) (PA Archive)

A family of beavers is to be moved from Tayside to Loch Lomond as part of efforts to boost biodiversity and the population of the “ecosystem engineers”.

RSPB Scotland applied to NatureScot for a licence to translocate the animals to the Loch Lomond National Nature Reserve (NNR) and has now been granted permission to do so.

The decision from NatureScot marks the third new site approved for the release of beavers in Scotland. It follows the initial beaver reintroduction trial at Knapdale in Argyll which began in 2009, and the release of a family at Argaty, near Doune, last year.

The Scottish Government last year announced its support for translocation, which involves safely trapping and moving beavers to a more suitable area, rather than culling them when they cause problems.

Now that the licence has been granted, the beavers will be captured at their current location, where they may be having a negative impact on prime agricultural land and where mitigation measures have not been successful or are not possible.

They will undergo a series of health checks before being transported to the nature reserve for release, with the process likely to take place early in the new year.

Duncan Orr-Ewing, head of species and land management at RSPB Scotland, said: “We are incredibly excited to be able to offer a home to these amazing animals.

“The Loch Lomond NNR is an ideal home for beavers with fen, open water and wet woodland habitat for them to explore.

“Beavers are nature’s wetland creators capable of creating and managing habitats in a way that we could never hope to achieve.

“We are looking forward to seeing the benefits that beavers bring to the wider biodiversity including amphibians, fish and wetland birds as well as our visitors who will hopefully see some of their engineering work over the coming years.”

NatureScot, Scotland’s nature agency, said the proposed release site was found to be highly suitable for beavers.

An environmental report highlights that beavers have been present in the catchment since at least 2019, and are likely to further colonise it naturally.

Beavers play an important role in helping to restore biodiversity and respond to the climate emergency in Scotland

Donald Fraser, NatureScot

The agency believes speeding up the natural colonisation process there by releasing beavers will help improve population numbers and genetic diversity, delivering a wide range of benefits for nature in the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.

Donald Fraser, NatureScot’s head of wildlife management, said: “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.

“This decision will allow beavers to be trapped and removed from highly productive agricultural land, and introduced to an ecologically suitable site within their current natural colonisation range where they are expected to bring a range of benefits.

“We know that beavers can occasionally cause issues, and we recognise the concerns raised by some through the engagement process.

“We’re committed to working with RSPB Scotland, local communities and stakeholders to develop an effective monitoring and management plan that seeks to minimise any negative beaver impacts and maximise the benefits and opportunities of beaver restoration.”

It is estimated by NatureScot that Scotland’s beaver population is around 954, with 254 territories.

NNR is managed in partnership by RSPB Scotland, Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority and NatureScot.

Eurasian beavers are native to Britain and used to be widespread in Scotland but became extinct in the 16th century, mainly due to hunting for fur, meat and “castoreum” – a castor oil used mainly in perfumes – but also from loss of wetland habitat.