Greens Back 'Bring Back the Beaver' Campaign
Thu., May 19, 2005. 09:00.
The Scottish Executive should give the immediate go-ahead to the proposed reintroduction of beavers to Scotland, Eleanor Scott, Green MSP for the Highlands and Islands, will argue in a debate in Parliament today.
The Scottish Executive should give the immediate go-ahead to the proposed reintroduction of beavers to Scotland, Eleanor Scott, Green MSP for the Highlands and Islands, will argue in a debate in Parliament today.
Last week Dr Scott lodged a motion in Parliament urging a speedy decision on the proposed trial to bring European beavers back to Knapdale in Argyll - the motion now has cross-party support - and various celebrities are also backing the campaign (1). Beavers were made extinct in Scotland in the 17th century. Dr Scott said: "The plan for reintroducing beavers has been on the table since early 2002, and unless approval is granted soon, there will be another year’s delay. The beavers need to be released in spring and have to spend 6 months in quarantine first, so permission must be granted soon if the trial is to stand a chance of getting off the ground in 2006. "We have an obligation under the Habitats Directive to look at reintroducing the species we have made extinct in Scotland but the Executive has been prevaricating over this for years now. Beavers have been successfully reintroduced in other parts of Europe like Holland and Denmark and they bring important biodiversity and habitat benefits and give wildlife tourism a boost. The reintroduction of red kites, sea eagles and ospreys have been a great success and I believe beavers will prove to be equally popular. It’s high time we brought them back to Scotland and I hope that the minister will give the proposal the go ahead as soon as possible. "I really don't understand what the minister is worried about. There is no evidence of European beavers carrying disease or being a risk to public health. The Forestry Commission and Scottish Wildlife Trust, whose land the trial will take place on, are happy for the trial to go ahead. Scottish Natural Heritage are keen to get going and the trial has been designed so that if there are negative impacts it can be halted. The risks seem minimal and the benefits could be great."
Notes
1. S2M-2797 Eleanor Scott: Reintroduction of the Beaver—That the Parliament commends Scottish Natural Heritage for its commitment to ecological restoration and, in line with the European Habitats Directive, the reintroduction of species that are locally extinct in Scotland; supports its proposal for a trial reintroduction of European beavers to Scotland, and urges the Scottish Executive to give permission for the trial to go ahead in time for release of beavers into the wild in the spring of 2006.
See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4560567.stm
Contact the Scottish Greens' press team on 07909 933 074.