1/8 There is no denying that beavers can cause problems in certain areas, such as arable land. But not all farmers / land owners want to shoot beavers. Two local farmers, each with a licence to shoot, are choosing other options
#Beavers #MoveDontKill

2/8 One has left a sizeable margin which he will allow to flood if necessary & both farmers will skim the offending dams to allow the additional water to flow through. A makeshift deceiver has also been installed in one of the dams

3/8 Dad & I continue to keep communications open with them to inform of any potential problematic beaver activities, offer advice & help with mitigation installations (such as the makeshift deceiver)

4/8 The problem is, if you don’t know the ecological, climatic & economical value of something & know it only as a problem, why would you try to live with it. And this is where @nature_scot & @scotgov urgently need to change their response to problem beavers

5/8 The current solution is to issue licenses to shoot beavers. You might think fair dos when it’s your livliehood that’s affected. However, we are in a climate & ecological crisis (which @scotgov declared). Future weather conditions will likely mean more crop failures

6/8 Beavers are known as a keystone species & ecosystem engineer = they are helping us fight effects of climate change & boost biodiversity. And they do this for free. They are a vital necessity in today’s climate. They are also a protected, endangered species

7/8 So what other option is there other than shooting & mitigations? Well, there are thousands of hectares of suitable habitat available, where they will not only not be a problem but are also wanted. But current policies do not allow relocation of beavers to these areas

8/8 We need this to change. We need beavers to be moved, not killed. Beaver presence benefits us all. Please, if you have not done so yet, sign @treesforlifeuk petition to relocate beavers instead of shooting them
http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/beaver
#MoveDontKill