Rewilding Britain - Legal Challenge to Stop the Beaver Cull

#rewildingbritain #taysidebeavers #scotlandbeavers #rewildingscotland #endthebeavercull #savethebeavers #stopthecull #treesforlife #scotlandbeavers #rewildingbeavers #coexistence

Legal challenge to stop farmers and land managers from shooting beavers.

Tayside is home to the largest beaver population in Scotland. Last year, just months after the government declared beavers a protected species in Scotland the Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) granted licences to cull 87 beavers which is one fifth of the country's total population of 450, They were said to be causing problems for farmers and landowners. It was described as “needless bloodshed” and Rewilding Britain said allowing beavers to be shot “makes a mockery of their protected status.

Trees for Life charity have challenged NatureScot’s authority to allocate licences to shoot beavers in Edinburgh’s Court of Session. They have raised £60,000 through a public crowdfunder to cover its legal costs. They have said the animals should be relocated are they are breaking the law by failing to make the killing of the protected species a ‘last resort’.

National Farmers Union (NFU) Scotland and Scottish Land and Estates are backing NatureScot in the proceedings. Scotland’s farming union maintains that killing beavers is necessary to prevent costly agricultural damage. Occasionally, as in Tayside, they can have local impacts on agriculture, flooding agricultural fields. The licence system has been a way of protecting their farms from economic and environmental damage. That licence system is now subject to judicial review with proceedings commencing. NFU Scotland president, is concerned about future implications the case may propose in terms of future species management.

We need to explore options of payments to landowners, and ways to ensure that beavers and our waterways can thrive.

References

Story source:

"Beaver damage" by quinet is licensed under CC BY 2.0


English: Edinburgh, 2-8 Parliament Square, High Court Of Justiciary And Court Of Session
This is a photo of listed building number 27699.
Date 28 September 2017, 18:06:58
Source Own work
Author LornaMCampbell

"Beaver damage" by pmuellr is licensed under CC BY 2.0

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[myusernameissoobnoxiouslyl]

It was 87 beavers culled under license in 2019, but I've heard local stories of farmers killing beavers on their land without applying for a license. The true number of beavers killed can't even be certified, and the fact both legal and illegal culling of European Protected Species are taking place here in Tayside represents a deep multi-faceted problem with our constant war on nature. Thank you for raising awareness about this cruel injustice.

[Alanginger]

Why am I saddened by this and not at all surprised

[andylyon]

Harvesting 1/5 of a beaver population is easily replaced in 1/2 a year.

[carlpeberdy]

You'd have thought that some sort of mechanism for moving beavers if they were damaging land for crops or financial compensation would have been built-in from the beginning. It's not exactly rocket science to make contingency plans - especially as beaver re-introduction is so popular. It is really important that everyone, including farmers/landowners, is kept onside to ensure the success of re-introductions, otherwise everyone will get pissed with each other and retreat to more entrenched positions and the whole thing will fall apart.

[joehalsall]

Why not capturing then remove them from the side some people just stupid in the world

[ljon]

The ignorance of people where beavers are concerned is just breathtaking. Why is it never considered that these animals will MULTIPLY, and quickly, and they will therefore need vast expanses of habitat as they spread? They need A LOT of trees in order to feed themselves, often taking whole standing coppices on any land that is suitable for them. They NEED to spread as they multiply and they will therefore encroach upon farms or private land very quickly.
''Relocate''? To where, exactly? This is a small country, and the time has gone that these lovely animals can live and spread without problem.
Beavers don't stay in one place - the young MUST move on. Why don't people consider what a terrible idea this reintroduction is? Will they wake up when there is mass culling of the poor, beleaguered beavers?