ld april may

WILDLIFE MATTERS ……... to all of us
The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust are working towards a wilder Island. This includes
species reintroductions and rewilding the land while continuing to engage with residents about
nature. One species that the Trust are investigating for reintroduction is the Beaver. Beavers were
native to mainland Britain but were hunted to extinction in the 16th century for their pelts, meat
and scent glands. They are ecosystem engineers, their ability to restore and maintain important
wetland habitats is important to other wildlife.
Eurasian Beaver (Castor fiber)
In 2001, a group of up to 200 wild beavers were
discovered on the River Tay, Scotland’s longest river.
The Scottish Beaver trial was established in 2009 and a
wild beaver family was monitored for five years.
Following the results, the beavers were proclaimed a
native species by the Scottish government and offered
them a European Protected Species status.
In 2013 three wild beavers were spotted on the River Otter in Devon, however because of their
lengthy absence they were not considered a native species in England, so the government
planned to capture them and place them in a zoo or wildlife park. This was met with passionate
resistance from residents and campaign groups made the Government reconsider. In January
2015 Natural England announced that if the Beavers were of Eurasian descent and disease free,
(which they were) they could stay.
Since then, there have been many research projects with controlled releases throughout England,
Scotland and Wales to establish how they will impact the environment. Some examples of these
releases are: During the summer of 2017 some were released into fenced areas in Cornwall.
Some were released in Hatchmere Nature Reserve during 2020, (part of a 5-year plan). A pair
were released on the South Downs in March 2021 and an adult pair plus the offspring at Cors Dyfi
Nature Reserve in Powys in Wales.
It is hoped that beavers will be released on the Isle of Wight this year in the Eastern Yar
catchment area where research has shown it to be an ideal location. The area has an abundant
amount of food for the Beavers to eat. Their food intake requirement includes;
shoots, leaves, roots and stems of waterside
vegetation. They will fell trees to get to the tender
foliage at the top. Beavers build dams using tree trunks,
branches and other vegetation to create deep pools as
refuges, to make it easier to get around and a place to
store food over winter.
The channels, dams and wetlands that beavers engineer, hold back water and release it more
slowly, helping to reduce the risk of flooding. Their dams filter water, cleaning it and prevents
pollution further downstream. They provide an amazing array of wetland habitats that greatly
enhances conditions for other wildlife to flourish and store carbon. The residents on the Island
have just been sent a questionnaire for their opinion about the beaver release. So will it be a Yar
or a no ?
MCV’s events and facilities are available to everyone. To find out more checkout the
MCV website @ milfordconservation.org
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