Various guides to Beaver management have been produced in both North America and in Scandinavia. There are techniques for discouraging Beavers from building dams in places where these would cause problems – road culverts, for instance, attract Beavers to build dams because the stream is narrowed at such places. Large bore pipes can be inserted through Beaver dams to equalise the water levels on either side – as these are below water level, they do not create the noise of running water that would stimulate the Beaver to repair a breach in their dam. All these techniques however require major works and costs and constant maintenance. There is also the legal question arising from the fact that such techniques would cause “damage” to the habitat of a protected species.  Nor has there been any discussion of who would bear the costs of such work – other countries have local or national “fisheries and wildlife services” who do this sort of thing, but Scotland has no equivalent agencies.

The question of whether it is “ethical to introduce an animal, knowing that it will have to be killed to control it, has already been raised, demonstrating the cultural context in which any Beaver management would have to take place within the UK.
 

Whilst this paper has been prepared by The Tweed Foundation on the basis of information that it believes is accurate, any party seeking to implement or otherwise act on any part or parts of this paper is recommended to obtain specialist advice. The Tweed Foundation does not accept responsibility under any circumstances for the actions or omissions of other parties occasioned by their reading of this paper.