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Irish Independent
08-05-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
‘We will obsess over one branch in Glengarriff for a whole afternoon': secrets of Ireland's ‘throuple' lichen
Zoologist and writer Sophie Pavelle, who is yet to turn 30, has already carved a distinct path through the field of science communication. She worked as communications coordinator for Beaver Trust for four years and presented their award-winning documentary Beavers Without Borders in 2020. She is also an ambassador for the Wildlife Trusts and sits on the RSPB England Advisory Committee. Her first book, Forget Me Not, was released in 2022 to wide acclaim, lauded for its strong message about combating biodiversity loss.
The Guardian
12-04-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Abandoned lynx, roaming wild boar, ‘beaver bombing' – has rewilding got out of hand?
Visions of habitats teeming with nature are powerful, particularly so in an age of extinction. Rewilding, which offers the promise of such transformations, was once something most would have imagined happening far away, carried out by people unlike them, but times are changing. The wilderness is getting closer to home and more personal. In the past few months, there have been two suspected lynx releases and one of feral pigs in a small area of the Cairngorms, along with reports of a rise in 'beaver bombing' on England's rivers, and wild boar roaming Dartmoor. These acts may have Robin Hood appeal, but the rearing and release of large mammals goes some way beyond the well-established phenomenon of 'guerrilla gardening', where people sow native plants on land without express permission, or even the letting loose of rare butterflies in nature reserves (also a trending phenomenon). On the latter point, butterfly specialist Matthew Oates notes that ad hoc butterfly releases have been going on for more than two centuries, with Winston Churchill a notable practitioner. The latest wave of rogue activity, Oates says, is 'fuelled by butterfly enthusiasts seeing a plethora of seemingly suitable but unoccupied habitat, which isn't going to get colonised naturally, and a degree of disillusionment with nature conservation bodies'. As with mammals, trying to establish what has been unofficially introduced, as opposed to arisen from natural colonisation, involves 'a lot of mythology and assumption,' he says. But there are many 'highly reputable' breeders of butterflies with long-established reputations – something that rings less true when it comes to large animals. 'I think some people who have taken matters into their own hands potentially have a quite romantic view of what it's like to be a wild animal out there. It's not just about opening the crate and letting them go,' says Roisin Campbell-Palmer, head of restoration for the Beaver Trust. 'We should always put the animals first. We can celebrate the enthusiasm and the attitude of some people to shove two fingers to the system, but if those animals aren't accepted and if they face prolonged or ongoing persecution, then I struggle ethically when asking: 'Is this right, have we all done a good job here, and can we truly call this species restoration?'' She acknowledges that without rogue releases, beavers would not be back in Britain on a more formal basis – but fears that some bridges have been permanently burned because of the experiment. 'Fingers can always be pointed. In retrospect, it's very hard to encourage people to then accept the animals and coexist with them when they feel it wasn't their choice and they weren't involved.' A group of scientists working to restore predator communities have come out strongly against the Scottish lynx releases. It's a view Campbell-Palmer shares. 'What was the long-term outlook likely to be for those animals? They weren't behaviourally ready for the wild. And to me, that's just thrown up a big potential case of straight-out cruelty,' she says. 'I hope that's been a bit of a wake-up call for people who think you can just put large mammals back and it'll all be fine. I'm very empathetic with people who get frustrated with the speed of change, but this rationale of 'just get them out there and they'll be accepted in the end', I do struggle with that.' While charismatic species wandering free grab many of the headlines, a less bombastic phenomenon is growing: community groups are buying smaller patches of the landscape to interpret rewilding as they see fit. The Covid-19 pandemic prompted many to dream of wide-open spaces and nature in bloom, but one group in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, decided to get on with making it happen. The collective, from a variety of professional backgrounds, began by getting 3,000 shareholders to buy a £50 stake through a crowdfunding platform to acquire the 12-hectare (30-acre) Long Lands Common on the outskirts of the town. They have recently completed another fundraising drive to add another 24 hectares of land, known as Knaresborough Forest Park, which has been out of public hands since 1770. 'Everyone's come together around this singular ambition, to protect, to restore, and to just provide more space for nature in the community. We've found there are very few people who don't seem to agree with that,' says George Eglese, a designer and the youngest member of the team behind the project. 'I think before Long Lands existed, there wasn't really anyone in the area who was doing this kind of work, and there was a lot of apathy in the town: people wanted change, but felt they couldn't affect it. Long Lands created a platform, and there's a sense that 'we've got all this resource now – let's do as much as we can to ensure the safety of our natural environment'.' As well as offering nature right next to accessible transport, and forging links with schools and charities, the project is also hoping to supply local food banks with fresh produce through a community food field, and offer a sustainable source of wood via the reintroduction of coppicing. They even hope that, in time, the site may attract some of those charismatic big beasts. 'What we're talking about is reversing nature depletion, and that means increasing biodiversity, whether it's for fauna, fungi, the small and medium-sized things,' says Ian Fraser, the project's woodland officer. 'Do those things, the ecosystems are stronger, then the larger animals will come back on their own.' Despite doing things by the book, groups working to bring more wildness into communities are not against a touch of righteous anger and rebellion. There's a trend for struggles against threats to habitats turning into reimaginations of them: the story of Long Lands Common began as a protest against a relief road that would have run through the Nidd Gorge. In Liverpool, a smaller patch of habitat began with a community halting a proposed deal between the council and Redrow Homes to build on a park. More than simply saving Calderstones Park, the Liverpool campaign group went on to develop 1.5 hectares of semi-derelict land into a nature reserve, using some novel techniques that have won the admiration of urban planting experts. They have sown a wildflower meadow over concrete using a soil made from Mersey grit and crushed stone, introduced rescued hedgehogs, seen a big uptick in bats and are working on specialist butterfly habitat. 'The council talked about rewilding and making it butterfly-friendly, but all that meant is they didn't cut the grass,' says Caroline Williams from the group. 'Without greater effort, a lot of it became just a sheer mess, with Himalayan balsam and Japanese knotweed [invasive plant species] coming in. There was definitely a feeling that if we don't do it, nobody else will.' High-profile support has emerged for an even more personal form of rewilding. Financier and environmentalist Ben Goldsmith recently urged anyone with savings to buy land for rewilding, describing it as 'the most rewarding, joyful and most impactful thing you can possibly do'. For those not willing to go solo and put their savings on the line, the UK has now got – at least in theory – structures in place to financially support rewilding at all manner of scales. Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) legislation means that when new developments cannot feasibly create adequate habitat onsite to compensate for what they have damaged or depleted, plus 10% more, biodiversity projects, including relatively small community-managed patches of the landscape, can offer an offsite investment solution. Infrastructure is being added to BNG soon, which is likely to work especially well for projects such as the London Tree Ring, which aims to provide connective tree cover surrounding the capital, while also linking up smaller-scale community projects. Christoph Warrack, chief executive of the nature recovery consultancy Common, has been visiting potential sites. 'This is reforestation on the edge of lots of the biggest construction and infrastructure projects in the country. It's a really easy fit, because you can essentially connect each part to an individual development project and create the Biodiversity Net Gain credits,' says Warrack. 'But we want those credits to happen anywhere. It's important for quite complex mechanisms like that to be simplified and made available to communities, so that they've got a more powerful economic rationale for taking the plunge and acquiring their land.' As well as these moves to boost biodiversity on a national scale, and a boom in crowdfunding for nature, there is also philanthropic funding out there willing to support local action. Knaresborough Forest Park received a loan on generous terms from the organisation We Have the Power, while Common is being backed by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation to build new financial models for communities to move faster in snapping up land on the market. British people's love for wildlife, in a notably biodiversity-depleted country, is renowned. As such, rewilding was never going to remain purely the domain of large estates beyond the horizon. The fact that flagship projects have inspired efforts to bring the idea closer to home is a testament to their success, and it's fair to say that was always at least partly the point. While most people wanting to make a personal impact are likely to find the comfort and increased financial clout of groups – and the safety of working within existing systems – the most desirable option, for some, permits and certificates, rules and regulations will always be the antithesis of nature. Officialdom will probably win the day, but the rebels could have some influence on how fast things are done. 'Biodiversity is a whole huge multiplicity of dimensions, and then you add people, and the relationships between people and biodiversity. Welcome to planet Earth; this is life and all its glorious complexity,' says Warrack. 'At the heart of that are some simple principles about place and people that have been clearly mapped out. What all these projects and ideas have in common is nature and nature recovery. And that is in everybody's interest.'
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Wild beavers reintroduced after 400-year extinction
The first ever wild beavers have been released in a Dorset nature reserve, more than 400 years after their extinction in Britain. Two pairs of the semi-aquatic animals are making a new home at Little Sea lake in Studland, Purbeck, unrestricted by fences or enclosures. This reintroduction follows the government's decision to allow wild populations return to England's rivers and wetlands. The National Trust, which is behind the licensed wild release, called it a "real watershed moment in the history of the species" in the country. The beavers have been brought from the Tay catchment in Scotland by the Beaver Trust. Head of restoration Roisin Campbell-Palmer said there was "high levels of public support" for the return of the animals to England. There have also been concerns about the impact of beavers flooding roads, properties and farmland, and targeting crops such as maize and cricket bat willow. The government announced the releases would be "well-managed" and that communities would be helped to adapt to living with beavers. Gen Crisford, beaver project officer at Purbeck for the conservation charity, said that by working with local landowners and putting measures in place when needed, "we are confident that in Purbeck we will be able to demonstrate how beavers can work for everyone". "Getting the wetlands back into our landscape is absolutely critical in restoring our ecosystems and making sure that they function efficiently and making sure that we do not stay as the most nature depleted country in the long term," said Tracey Churcher, general manager of Purbeck for the trust. "They are key for rebuilding that and always were supposed to be in this landscape. It was persecution that led to their demise." The licensed release comes after two beavers appeared at Little Sea in January 2024, thought to have colonised from elsewhere in Dorset's waterways where they are already living wild, or through an unauthorised release. Marian Spain, chief executive of Natural England, said it was a "historic moment for nature in England", giving them a chance to thrive again in the wild. Known as nature's architects, beavers engineer the landscape with dams, ponds and channels that help other wildlife and counter flooding and drought. The Beaver Trust said they were looking forward to other new wild sites being proposed. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Beavers return to town after 400 years Baby boom prompts call to boost wild beaver population Beavers return to national park 'after 600 years' Natural England The Beaver Trust The National Trust
Al-Ahram Weekly
02-03-2025
- General
- Al-Ahram Weekly
England allows wild beaver releases in 'milestone' for UK nature - International
Beavers will soon be released into waterways in England under a new scheme launched on Friday, signalling a return to the wild for an animal once hunted to extinction. Beavers will soon be released into waterways in England under a new scheme launched on Friday, signalling a return to the wild for an animal once hunted to extinction. It's a win for wildlife campaigners seeking to restore England's depleted countryside -- and a triumphant turnaround for the dam-building rodents, which until recently had been absent for hundreds of years. The UK's environment department said Eurasian beaver releases would be carefully managed, and the first are expected to be set free in southwest England soon. Beavers went extinct in Britain in the 16th century when they were sought after for their fur, meat and special sacs, which produce a leathery scent prized by perfume makers. Small populations have been reintroduced to enclosures in recent years as part of a broader "rewilding" drive, and following escapes and illegal releases, around 500 are already thought to be living in the wild in England. Biologists consider beavers a "keystone species" because they reshape their environment with dams and pools that benefit other wildlife and fend off floods and droughts. However, their reintroduction has been a sticky topic in Britain, where farmers are worried about the animals' impact on their land. The head of the National Farmers' Union, Tom Bradshaw, has argued landowners need the right to use "lethal control" if the beavers "end up in the wrong place". - Restoring the natural world - The new scheme specifies that "as a last resort, beavers may be trapped and translocated or lethally controlled". Each project would need to supply a 10-year plan to support the animals' return to the wild, while the government has also promised help for farmers who make space for beavers on their land. The UK is one of the world's most nature-depleted countries and has lost almost half of its natural species in recent decades, according to a 2021 parliamentary report. Nature minister Mary Creagh said: "Reintroducing beavers to the wild is a critical milestone for this government's plan to protect and restore our natural world." Roisin Campbell-Palmer of the Beaver Trust, a charity that backs the animal's reintroduction, said it was a "landmark moment" and called for widespread licence granting. But she said England was "generations behind the rest of Europe", where schemes have helped beavers reestablish themselves in countries including Belgium, France, Germany, Spain and Switzerland. The protected Purbeck Heaths landscape in Dorset is tipped to be the site for the first English release, but no date has yet been given. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
England allows wild beaver releases in 'milestone' for UK nature
Beavers will soon be released into waterways in England under a new scheme launched on Friday, signalling a return to the wild for an animal once hunted to extinction. It's a win for wildlife campaigners seeking to restore England's depleted countryside -- and a triumphant turnaround for the dam-building rodents, which until recently had been absent for hundreds of years. The UK's environment department said Eurasian beaver releases would be carefully managed and the first are expected to be set free in southwest England soon. Beavers went extinct in Britain in the 16th century when they were sought after for their fur, meat and special sacs, which produce a leathery scent prized by perfume makers. Small populations have been reintroduced in enclosures in recent years as part of a wider "rewilding" drive, and following escapes and illegal releases around 500 are already thought to be living in the wild in England. Biologists consider beavers a "keystone species" because they reshape their environment with dams and pools that benefit other wildlife, as well as fending off floods and droughts. But their reintroduction has been a sticky topic in Britain, where farmers are worried about the animals' impact on their land. The head of the National Farmers' Union, Tom Bradshaw, has argued landowners need the right to use "lethal control" if the beavers "end up in the wrong place". - Restoring the natural world - The new scheme specifies that "as a last resort, beavers may be trapped and translocated or lethally controlled". Each project would need to supply a 10-year plan to support the animals' return to the wild, while the government has also promised help for farmers who make space for beavers on their land. The UK is one of the world's most nature-depleted countries and has lost almost half of its natural species in recent decades, according to a 2021 parliamentary report. Nature minister Mary Creagh said: "Reintroducing beavers to the wild is a critical milestone for this government's plan to protect and restore our natural world." Roisin Campbell-Palmer of the Beaver Trust, a charity that backs the animal's reintroduction, said it was a "landmark moment" and called for widespread licence granting. But she said England was "generations behind the rest of Europe", where schemes have helped beavers reestablish themselves in countries including Belgium, France, Germany, Spain and Switzerland. The protected Purbeck Heaths landscape in Dorset is tipped to be the site for the first English release but no date has yet been given. lcm/har/gil
