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Scottish Beaver Trial
Highlights
- Organisation: Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT)
- Amount: £253,830
- Awarded: 01-09-2008
- Ref No: 4680
The Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT) and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), were granted a licence by the Scottish Government in May 2008 to undertake a scientific trial. The trial aims to assess the impact beavers will have on the Scottish landscape and determine whether a widespread reintroduction is feasible for the future.
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The six-year reintroduction project has seen four beaver families successfully released in Knapdale, Mid-Argyll on 29 May 2009. The beavers were captured in Norway and flown to the UK, where they have been in quarantine for 6 months before their release. Biffaward's funding is set to help the project monitor the beavers and their impact on their surroundings. Biffaward has also ehlped fund information points and a 'beaver trail', allowing visitors to the area to learn more about the beavers and their habitat. |
SWT have been working with the Forestry Commission, who owns the site at Knapdale, on site preparations for the arrival of the beavers. The Scottish Government has asked Scottish Natural Heritage to coordinate the independent scientific monitoring of the trial, reporting on whether the conditions of the licence are being fully addressed on the ground.
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Simon Jones, SWT Project Manager for the Scottish Beaver Trial, said: "Bringing back the beaver to Scotland signals the first-ever formal wild reintroduction of a mammal to the UK. The beaver was hunted to extinction and holds the potential to create new wetland habitats which in turn can increase the number of native species. Receiving backing from Biffaward really highlights the biodiversity benefits that the project hopes to confirm. We are delighted to have them on-board as the major funding partner." |
 Photo by Kenneth Malcolm Photography |
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