Beaver family will be released in the Forest
of Dean to stop a village from flooding, with potential for further such
schemes to follow
Tuesday 12 December
2017 09.47 GMTLast modified on Tuesday 12 December
2017 09.49 GMT
A valley in the Forest of Dean will echo to
the sound of herbivorous munching next spring when a family of beavers are
released into a fenced enclosure to stop a village from flooding, in the first
ever such scheme funded by the government.
The plan for the village of Lydbrook,
Gloucestershire, may soon be joined by other schemes. The environment
secretary, Michael Gove, has
indicated that the government may support other schemes to restore the beaver
four centuries after it was driven to extinction in England and Wales.
The beavers’ dam-building stores huge
quantities of water and slows peak flows during flood events, potentially
lessening devastating floods. Unofficial releases of beavers on to the River
Otter in Devon have led to
an official trial and similar schemes in Scotland last year led to the Scottish
government declaring that the beaver would once again be recognised and protected
as a native mammal.
“The
beaver has a special place in English heritage and the Forest of Dean proposal
is a fantastic opportunity to help bring this iconic species back to the
countryside,” said Gove. “The community of Lydbrook has shown tremendous
support for this proposal and the beavers are widely believed to be a welcome
addition to local wildlife.”
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