Book Review: Waters Of Life - Fighting For Scotland's Beavers by Tom Bowser

 

At a time when the world seems dark and bad news a constant presence this book is very welcome. Positive and uplifting, it tells a conservation success story, of how the author and a cast of supporters overcame bureaucratic inertia and anti-wildlife forces to stop the killing of beavers in Scotland and allow them to be relocated to new homes. In the process the campaigners changed the whole way beavers are regarded by the Scottish establishment and paved the way for their spread to other areas of Scotland and then to parts of England.They did this in a surprisingly short space of time, just less than two years from the initial idea to the release of the first beavers.

The book is very much a personal account and I think this gives it emotional power. The author writes well and is not afraid to describe how he felt, including feeling depressed and elated at times. He triggered the events described by applying to have beavers relocated to suitable habitats on his land rather than be shot and the results were intense. His struggle to save the beavers is quite gripping with much tension even though the reader knows the outcome. I've read works of fiction that are far less enthralling! 

The author brings to life the other conservationists who worked with him to save the beavers and some of those who opposed the plans. He makes it clear that individuals and organisations working together led to their success. This co-operation is itself encouraging.

After the first beavers are released Bowser writes about the delight of living with them, about how they changed the landscape. His joy in their presence is infectious. 

In the fascinating last section of the book he visits a series of conservationists involved with different species in different parts of Scotland to talk to them about their work and their personal stories and motivation.

This is a book of hope, a book that shows that not all is lost. It's a wonderful tonic.

Save Beavers In Scotland - Please Sign The Petition

Image from @scotlandtbp (c)

The return of beavers to Scotland has been of the great conservation stories of recent years (and we really need positive stories). They are now a protected species, as they should be. However, despite this, last year one in five Scottish beavers were killed.

As well as being beautiful animals in their own right beavers create habitats, boost biodiversity, and help prevent floods. They are becoming a tourist attraction too. I haven't seen beavers in Scotland myself yet, though I have been to one of their habitats and seen gnawed tree stumps, but I have watched them in North America and Scandinavia. I've marvelled at their dams and the series of ponds they create, which support a wealth of wildlife, regulate water flow, and improve water quality.

Beavers cause few problems but they can damage crops, which leads some farmers to kill them. Until beavers received legal protection last year farmers could do this as they wished. That protection isn't complete however and licences to kill beavers can be obtained from Scottish Natural Heritage. 87 were shot in the last year.

Image from @Scots Beavers (c)

Rather than shooting beavers they should be relocated. There are many suitable areas in Scotland. I'd love to see them here in Strathspey. However the Scottish Government does not permit this.

Trees for Life and the Scottish Rewilding Alliance have started a petition calling on the Scottish Government to allow the relocation of beavers. At the time of writing this has 7,593 signatures. Many more are needed. Please sign if you care about wildlife. Beavers could have a great future in Scotland.

 

Some Good Conservation News: Scottish Beavers Can Stay

Beaver ponds on Vinal Creek in the Purcell Mountains, Montana

All too often conservation news is bad. It's about dead raptors, mountain hare slaughter, the destruction of wild land by developments, about a desperate-seeming struggle to try and protect what's left. Occasionally though there's a positive story, a story that gives hope for the future, that eases the burden of concern. That was the case this week when the Scottish Government announced that beavers are to be officially recognised as a native species and that the two populations already existing in Scotland - those in the official reintroduction trial in Knapdale in Argyll and the unofficial ones along the River Tay - can remain.

The last beavers were exterminated in Scotland in the sixteenth century. Now, after 400 years, they are not only back but protected. This is very significant as it's the first formal reintroduction of a mammal ever in Scotland and the whole of the UK.

I think this is excellent news for the beavers, for wild land, and for the future. It sets a precedent that mammals can be reintroduced. It's the most cheering news for quite a while.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust was one of the lead partners in the Knapdale trial. There's much more information on the SWT website.