Beavers are answer to UK flooding

RIGHT: Photo by Les Willis

Beavers have the answer to the UK's Flooding Problem.

Lord Smith, Chairman of the Environment Agency, in a speech to Insurance Institute of London said Britain is experiencing a "new kind of rain" in the summer that is putting cities at increasing risk, especially London.

"We’ve been familiar for centuries with rain that comes marching across the country in a curtain, usually from the west, with relatively predictable consequences for everything in its path. That will continue to be the case. But now we are having to come to terms – as well – with rain that falls in huge quantities, all at once, in one place. Lots of it, in a defined area, falling as a deluge. And with climate change, we are likely to see this happening with increasing frequency."

Lord Smith said one in six people in England and Wales are now at risk of flooding.

Wildlife Conservationists have the answer to the problems of flooding which could save the tax payer billions of pounds in the future and relieve the suffering of flooded out shopkeepers and householders.

The answer is to reintroduce natural wetland species such as European beaver and wild horses to the UK and allow the natural restoration of nature's own flood defences like the initiatives currently run by the Wildwood Trust near Canterbury.

The wetlands of Britain used to act as a giant sponge, soaking up rainfall and releasing it slowly into our rivers, protecting us from catastrophic flooding.

In recent times we have spent and increasing amount of money to destroy our wetlands, to build and maintain a massive system of drains at the taxpayer's expense. The cruel irony is that 'flood defences' only make the problem worse further down the river. Planning has also encouraged the building of more and more housing on flood plains which then in turn need to be defended from inevitable flooding.

Successive governments have channeled hundreds of millions of pounds of tax payers' money every year into agricultural subsidies and 'drainage' works that are directly responsible for the catastrophic flooding seen over the last few weeks.

Peter Smith, Wildwood Trust Chief Executive said: "While the rainfall we have been witnessing is very high, to blame it on global warming is to miss the point, as these rainfall patterns are not that uncommon in the UK.

The real culprit is how rainfall rushes off our land which has seen hundreds of millions of pound spent in creating a system of drains. With no wetlands, trees or undeveloped flood plains to stop this water it rushes off fields into drainage systems, maintained at the taxpayers expense, and is funneled into rivers where it creates the devastating problems witnessed this week.

We must stop wasting money on drainage schemes, agricultural subsidies and building in flood plains but rather spend tax pounds in re-establishing natural wetlands.

This can be achieved for a fraction of cost that taxpayers are already incurring, save us billions in the future and will create a carbon sink to help neutralise climate change and give our future generations a natural heritage to be proud of.

The Netherlands have already developed systems for re creating wetlands, while at the same time providing safety for homes and communities."

RIGHT: photo by Wildwood

Beavers were hunted to extinction in the UK in the 17th century for their pelts, their meat and their musk glands, which had medicinal properties.

Beavers can and do dramatically change the landscape. The beaver is a keystone species - their skills as foresters and engineers create and maintain ponds and wetlands that increase biodiversity purify water and prevent large-scale flooding.

Scientists estimate that in America restoring only 3 percent of the original, beaver created, wetlands might suffice to prevent catastrophic floods; the same could be true for the UK.

The government's own advisers have come down on the side of beaver and have recommended that they should be reintroduced to the UK, but the UK parliament has been to fearful of upsetting landowning groups to allow the this to happen.

Scottish Natural History's director of science, Colin Galbraith, said:

"More than 20 other countries, including France, Germany and Denmark have reintroduced beavers and the experience has been very positive. Beavers fit into the landscape very well and in places like Brittany they have become part of the environment, with minimal damage to agriculture and other interests.

"Beaver dams would improve water quality, produce new habitats for fish and help reduce flooding downstream."

http://www.wildwoodtrust.org/