RIGHT: Peter Snith and baby beaverThe beaver kits, as they are known, are set to help with projects to restore this remarkable mammal back to our riverbanks.
The beaver are a part of a bold and innovative conservation programme, designed to protect and restore our wetland habitats.
Wildwood Trust and Kent Wildlife Trust, who first brought the European beaver into the UK in 2001, have pioneered the use of beaver as a wildlife conservation tool.
The success of this project has inspired a number of other projects in Gloucestershire and in Scotland.
The baby beavers' parents where given to Wildwood Trust as a gift of the German Government and they arrived in the UK earlier last year. There journey to Wildwood was documented in a special two part programme shown on BBC’s countryfile.
Peter Smith, Wildwood's Chief Executive 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 forestry.
"Beaver dams would improve water quality, produce new habitats for fish and help reduce flooding."
Visitors to Wildwood can get the chance to see the beavers for themselves as they are nursing with their mother in our walk in beaver lodge. Beaver are just some of the huge range of British animals that can be seen at the Wildwood Discovery Park near Canterbury. For more information visit our website at www.wildwoodtrust.org or telephone 0871 7820081.
Wildwood is situated close to Canterbury, just off the A291 between Herne Bay and Canterbury.
WHY ARE BEAVER SO IMPORTANT TO US
As busy as a Beaver is not an idol term, beaver act a keystone species which means beaver act as a natural nature reserve wardens, managing and protecting their surrounding habitat. And after learning from the many European successes Kent Wildlife Trust decided that European Beaver where the best hope to restore a fragile wetland habitat of Ham Fen.
Their skills as foresters and engineers can create and sustain standing water and wetlands that increase biodiversity, purify water and prevent large-scale flooding.
Scientist 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 and beaver could prove to be the best solution to large scale flooding and climate change.
The Government own advisers have come down on the side of beaver and have recommended that they should be reintroduced to the UK, 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."
BEAVER HISTORY
European Beaver, not to be confused with its American cousin, was native throughout Britain until man hunted them to extinction in the 17th Century.
Since that time the beaver was wiped out across mainland Europe. But thanks to the unstinting efforts of conservationist through Europe beaver have slowly been reintroduced. Now Britain stands as the last European country to be without the benefits of having this wonderful creature restoring and managing its natural inland waterways.
DETAILS OF THE HAM FEN BEAVER RESTORATION PROJECT
This project has been conducted with in consultation with leading scientific advice and the authorisation of all relevant statutory bodies.
The future of conservation: as our wild lands become ever more fragmented and degraded wildlife is dying out at a frightening pace. One of the key issues facing nature conservationists is the fact that at the moment our wildlife is only holding on thanks to the dedication of volunteers and the tiny input of paid professionals. It has become very apparent to leading conservationist that if we are to protect our wildlife for the future then we must restore natural ecological systems to our wild places. This will need the use of ' keystone' species such as beaver or large semi-wild grazing animals to mange nature. This process will be much more sustainable as it will decrease the need of resources.
If we are to match the successes of our European partners then we must put more effort into the creation of Near Natural areas. Kent Wildlife Trust has always prides itself on its relationship with the local community and wish to take forward the debate whereby our farmland and nature areas developed to create a self sustaining environment that matches ancient habitats and created a safe secure ecosystem for wildlife to thrive for many generations to come.
KEY BENEFITS OF BEAVER
1. Help save otters, water voles, fish and a huge range of threatened wildlife
2. Protect our land and towns from catastrophic flooding
3. Create diverse wildlife rich wetlands
4. Improves water quality
KEY BEAVER FACTS
1. Beaver eat only plants NOT fish
2. European Beaver rarely build dams like their North American Cousins
3. European beaver are completely harmless to man
4. European Beaver have NO significant impact on agriculture
5. Beavers live side by side with man all over the European mainland
Distribution: Throughout Europe and Asia Recently reintroduced across Europe. The European Beaver cousin the North American Beaver exists throughout Canada, USA and Mexico
Main threats: Habitat loss and hunting for the fur trade.
Preferred habitat: rivers, lakes and swamps Favourite food: aspen and willow bark, freshwater plants and herbs Size: 105-130 cm
Weight: 18-38 kg
Life span: 7-8 years
Breeding: The female gives birth to 1 to 3 Kits once every year, mates for life and only one female breeds per colony
Performance: This specialised water animals can build dams 300m long and cut down a tree up to 1.5 metres in diameter, although they rarely do this. Can hold breath underwater = 15 mins.
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