Rewilding Britain! Beavers have built a dam on Exmoor for the first time in more than 400 years.

#rewildingbritain #beaverreintroduction #nationaltrust #wildlifetrust #beaversbuiltadamexmoor

Rewilding Britain! Beavers have built a dam on Exmoor for the first time in more than 400 years.

It’s astonishing how many of us aren’t familiar with the crucial role the beaver plays in ecosystems. They are a ‘keystone species’ and they restore wetlands and produce a network of habitats - they promote aquatic vegetation. It’s fascinating when you consider the amount of life they give. The dams also help to reduce flooding. Due to hunting, they became extinct in the 16th century for their meat, pelts, and a substance they secrete called castoreum.

The Uk has seen some successful reintroductions recently- a five-year trial on the River Otter in Devon has been hailed a success by the government, and at the end of January, Eurasian beavers were released into a specifically built 2.7-acre enclosure Holnocote in somerset to restore streams and reduce flooding. They were relocated from the River Tay in Scotland. It’s the first to appear on Exmoor for almost half a millennium. The project is part of the National trust’s Riverlands programme, which aims to revive UK rivers by boosting wildlife, water quality, community engagement and tackling the effects of climate change.

The beavers have been busy and footage shows them at work building a dam. It’s early days, and the National Trust project manager has told the BBC “it might be modest-looking but it’s created an instant wetland and in a short amount of time”. The trust has already spotted kingfishers on-site and are expecting to see a lot more wildlife soon like amphibians, insects, bats and birds.

Rewilding Britain has said Restoring and connecting habitats will help to save wildlife forced to move because of climate change- beavers are key to this. Due to the success of beaver reintroductions, the government is considering a national strategy for the reintroduction of beavers.

You can help by supporting beaver reintroduction trials. Visit the wildlife trusts and national trust websites and find out more.

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References

"Bever. The Eurasian beaver or European beaver (Castor fiber)" by NTNU, Faculty of Natural Sciences is licensed under CC BY 2.0

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[skyrocket]

Damn, that's Kool! Trouble is, if they're in some kind of enclosure, they're not really truly living wild in the UK! By the way, I just love the patty cake theme music at the beginning of your vids! It almost reminds me of being in tropical Africa, lol!👍🛸🍺🍻😷😁👍

[davestewart]

Love the content, you always manage to teach me and keep me up to date on rewilding news and events. Hadn't realized there was a program in place for beaver reintroduction.

[tomm]

Beavers are environmental engineers. They are worth much more then their pelts.

[lightningboltt]

Can you do plestocime fauna of Britain

[caroline]

Beavers can do damage, they do need to be in the right place, they can damage trees and farmland