jeff merkley. The Environment Agency, working with partners including wildlife and angling organisations, has this year been granted an additional £18m of funding by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to help more English rivers meet new EU targets on the health of rivers. Devon Wildlife Trust's report looks at the River Otter Beaver Trial - a 5-year trial reintroduction of Eurasian beavers into the wild in south east Devon. It's the first legally sanctioned reintroduction of an extinct native mammal to England. “If landowners know there’s someone they can pick up the phone to, it really helps,” Burgess said. It has been a long and perilous journey, but otters have finally managed to swim back from the brink of extinction and into every county in England. In England and Wales otter cubs, usually in litters of two or three, can be born at any time of the year. In England the otter disappeared dramatically between the 1950s and 1970s because of persecution and pesticides washing into waterways. Devon Wildlife Trust is seeking to use the small wild and breeding population now living on the River Otter as an opportunity to study these impacts in a real life lowland British landscape. The dams also filter out pollutants and stop topsoil being washed away. The Trust recently secured the first ongoing ‘class licence’ to capture and transport live Eurasian otters trapped in well-fenced fisheries in England. The resurgence of the otter, which is top of the food chain in river environments, is an indicator that English rivers are at their healthiest for more than 20 years, according to the Environment Agency. Photograph: Environment Agency/PA, UK animals back from the brink of extinction. bob bailey. Available for everyone, funded by readers. According to the Environment Agency, around 35m fewer litres a day are now being taken from the River Darent in Kent than 20 years ago, support larger populations of wildlife including brown trout and pike. Peter Burgess, director of conservation at Devon Wildlife Trust, which has overseen the reintroduction trial, told the Guardian: “There have been some sleepless nights, and it was very stressful in the early stages. “Beavers can have a significant local impact on the countryside and farming; from creating dams that can undermine riverbanks, to impeding farmland drainage with waterlogged fields becoming unsuitable for grazing and cropping; all lead to serious implications on our ability to produce food,” he said. The resurgence of the otter has not delighted everyone, however, and anglers have reported otters decimating stocks in fishing lakes. “But we also understand that there are implications for landowners, and take care to ensure that all potential impacts are carefully considered.”. The beavers started out as interlopers, when a family group were found to be living on the River Otter in 2013, their origins unknown. • This article was amended on 6 August 2020 to clarify in the first paragraph that the beaver colony discussed is the first to live wild in England for hundreds of years, not the UK. “We must see a well-thought through exit strategy if any major issues occur.”. sara hottman. Philip Wayre was a British animal addict who intended to breed the European otter in captivity, until conditions were right and it could be reintroduced to the wild. In recent years, the two biggest known barbel in Britain are believed to have been predated by otters – both from rivers, The Great Ouse and Ivel, where the mammals have only recently returned. Terry Nutkins, the naturalist and friend of Gavin Maxwell, author of Ring of Bright Water, said he was "absolutely overjoyed" by the return of the otter across England. Cubs are usually born in a holt in a bank, or between rocks or tree roots. This fantastic report outlines the findings of the research programme. After otter hunting was belatedly banned in Britain in 1978, numbers began to increase – particularly following the withdrawal of organochlorine chemicals and a more general improvement in water quality, leading to more fish in rivers and lakes. The first beavers to live wild in England for centuries are to be allowed to remain in their new home on the River Otter in east Devon after a five-year reintroduction trial.. The ROBT is led by Devon Wildlife Trust, working with Exeter University, and the beavers … A recent survey on the river Ribble, in Lancashire, showed a 44% increase in otter numbers since 2008. senate appropriations committee. An increasing number of farmers and conservationists are considering rewilding schemes for their land, and there are calls for reintroductions of animals from boar to lynx and wolves. "The fact that otters are now returning to Kent is the final piece in the jigsaw for otter recovery in England and is a symbol of great success for everybody involved in otter conservation," said Alastair Driver, the national conservation manager for the Environment Agency. UKWOT has five trained operatives and, since October 2016, 10 fenced fisheries have approached us to help them. Welcome to the UK Wild Otter Trust! Last modified on Thu 6 Aug 2020 05.48 EDT. beaver (Castor fiber) reintroduction in the River Otter Beaver Trial Roger Edward Auster , Stewart Barr and Richard Brazier Geography Department, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK (Received 24 February 2020; final version received 26 August 2020) Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) reintroduction … No more releases in the wild will be allowed until the consultation is complete. Meanwhile, in Wales, there is also a plan to conduct a beaver reintroduction … There is still a great deal of work to do before otters are widespread once more.". The otter Lutra lutra is a semi-aquatic mammal, which occurs in a wide range of ecological conditions, including inland freshwater and coastal areas (particularly in Scotland). When the Otter Trust was set up in the UK in 1972, one of its long-term intentions was to restore European otters to suitable wild habitat. "The biggest problem is human encroachment and the destruction of habitat, and increasingly many otters are hit on the roads.". future success did not always look assured, when a family group were found to be living on the River Otter, according to a study from Exeter University, devastating floods are likely to become more common. Mating occurs at any time of the year and females give birth to 2 – 3 cubs, usually between May and August. They were threatened with removal, but the Devon Wildlife Trust and community groups stepped in and tried to show the beavers were European, rather than north American, and eventually gained a licence for a five-year trial, which was extended in February to conclude this month. Populations in coastal areas utilise shallow, inshore marine areas for feeding but also require fresh water for bathing and terrestrial areas for resting and breeding holts. Attempts have been made to reintroduce otters to their former haunts by reintroducing captive bred and rehabilitated animals, with some attempts proving very successful. This is a landmark decision and one of the most important moments in England's conservation history. In 2018 beavers were observed moving into new areas and creating dams to form wetland habitat. Cubs are normally born in dens, called holts, which can be in a tree root system, a hole in a bank or under a pile of rocks. PORTLAND, Ore. President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed this year’s federal budget, which includes a directive to study sea otter reintroduction in the Pacific Northwest. – but our river systems still require extensive habitat management to restore them to a healthy level that can sustain fish stocks and wildlife. We are a Devon-based charity dedicated to protecting and promoting a positive understanding of the European otter and its conservation.We want everyone to be able to engage with and appreciate these beautiful animals, and we work hard to raise awareness, educate, and share information in as many ways as possible! Two otters have been spotted building their holts on the banks of the rivers Medway and Eden in Kent, delighting conservationists who had previously predicted they would not return to the county for another 10 years. Some conservationists warn that sightings of otters in new habitats may reflect otters roaming more widely in search of food rather than a big increase in numbers. "It's good news and shows that the rivers are clean and there are more people becoming involved with environmental issues. elakha alliance. In the UK IOSF is the only charity solely dedicated to the conservation, protection and care of otters based on years of scientific research in the UK and around the world. ulation of unknown origin has been licensed for a reintroduction trial in Devon (Natural England, 2015) alongside a number of fenced projects, and the UK government has included reference to “providing opportunities for reintroduction of species such as beavers” in its 25‐year environmental plan (for England) (HM Government, 2018, p. 57). The reintroduction will be the first made by the conservation charity, with the aim of helping with flood management and improving biodiversity. The trial clearly proves the benefits of nature-based solutions to dealing with flooding, water quality and resilience to climate change. Key to the success of the River Otter project was getting local people and farmers involved and explaining the benefits beavers can bring, as well as providing support when needed, said Burgess. Richard Benwell, chief executive of the Wildlife and Countryside Link, said: “It’s great to see that the reintroduction of beavers in this trial has resulted in a win-win for the local area, boosting wildlife and tackling man-made problems. “Animals are much more likely to be welcomed if that is the approach.”. Beavers alter the landscape and ecosystems in and around waterways, with their dam-building helping to reduce pollution and boosting local wildlife populations, including fish and amphibians, according to a study from Exeter University. There were several incidents of localised flooding of farmland, when the landowners were concerned, but by providing expert support the reintroduction team were able to resolve the problems.
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