Talking Beaver Conservation; with Kirsten Brewster

This week, we were lucky enough to chat with Kirsten Brewster about the Beaver for the second Q&A in our Rewilding series. Last month, we launched our collaboration with SCOTLAND: The Big Picture and Scottish artist, KMG, with a collection of graphic tees and sweats that strive to showcase some of the species that play a pivotal role in SBP’s Rewilding mission. You can view the full Rewilding Collection here.

Kirsten is the beaver ambassador at SBP so, to find out more about our relationship with these animals, we knew she’d be perfect to speak to. Read on to find out more about how they have integrated back into nature, why they're so important to Scottish rewilding and how to spot one in the wild!

I’m a zoologist and having travelled a little in Europe and further afield have been struck by the richness of wildlife in landscapes like the Spanish Dehesas and Yellowstone National Park. I guess it's this comparison to all that's been lost from the Scottish environment that has pushed me to consider how restoration can bring benefits for nature and people. I aligned with SBP’s ethos quite early on and it's been a dream come true to have the opportunity of working in my current role to restore species. In my own time I’m keen on improving my garden for nature and find myself getting increasingly geeky about wildflowers.

I’m fascinated by beaver activity and I’m not the only one. Beavers really capture attention because they are so active and leave fascinating signs. My favourite thing really is the dynamism (ever-changing) of beaver activity, it's such a change from an environment which can often seem static with the same few scattered trees clinging on a riverbank or cliffside year after year. This dynamism is much needed and I think that's something I’d hope that we as people can understand and get more comfortable with.

Beavers are a native species in Scotland and Britain present until ~ 400 years ago, this is why their return is a reintroduction. At that time people utilised beaver fur, castoreum and they were freely hunted, it was a very different time. Many of the issues facing us today including adaptation to climate change require resilience in our ecosystems and beavers are a part of that by slowing the flow of water behind dams etc. Following reintroduction and establishment of a wild population the species were protected in Scotland in 2019 so it's important that people know that and seek advice before managing beavers.

Beavers are considered a keystone species because they manipulate the environment around them and in doing so they create new habitat niches which are utilised by an array of other species. Their tree feeling or partial felling creates a mix of standing deadwood and fallen rotting wood which also opens up the canopy. Beaver created ponds are a vital resource as so many of our wetlands have been lost to drainage and are utilised by amphibians, invertebrates, birds and really everything in between including other mammal species. Otters are often found to utilise dis-used beaver burrows for example and water voles thrive in the more complex environments that beaver activity brings about.

Beavers live in very tight knit family groups with kits remaining to maturity to help care for the following year's offspring before moving on and so this is really key in terms of their translocation and reintroduction success. When trapping animals from the wild it's important to get the full family to ensure their welfare but this can be challenging, time is needed to try and achieve the best outcome.

Beavers dams and the ponds created store water behind them thus slowing the rate at which water moves downstream, when you multiply this across all the potential beaver dams in an area that is a lot of water being stored and slowed so overall effect is reducing and slowing flood peaks. The dams also have the effect of creating pools where water is deeper and thus cooler which is great with ever increasing water temperatures but also there has been some great research to show that water quality improves through multiple beaver dams which essentially act as filters trapping sediment.

Beavers' building abilities are infamous and I’ve witnessed a very wide range of materials they are willing to use to build their dams, all sorts of debris that come downstream such as fence posts, bricks, traffic cones etc. Also many people don’t realise that dams are often quite heavily reinforced with mud, and stone of varying sizes from pebbles to boulders! In one location I saw a dam made almost entirely of arable crops which speaks to how denuded our riparian tree cover is in many places.

Beavers are active between dusk and dawn generally so the best time to spot them is in the lighter evenings of the summer months from maybe 7pm onwards, look for fresh field signs and patiently wait quietly you might just be rewarded! There are also beaver tour providers in a few places now from the West coast, Highlands and closer to the central belt.

I’m all about restoring our native wildlife and there's no shortage of opportunity. I think that Lynx, which are increasingly becoming part of the conversation, is a really exciting and important consideration because of the way that they could influence the behaviour of other species such as herbivores and mesopredators.

This is perhaps cheeky but I think nature conservation is inherently political and species like beavers and lynx that is especially true of so I’d encourage people to campaign for their values, consider how you vote and support organisations who are doing work that is important to you. And don’t ever feel disempowered; we all have influence and the ability to restore nature which is more important than ever.

We've always been lovers of the outdoors and are passionate about helping the environment we live in thrive. 10% of sales from our Rewilding graphic tees and sweats will be donated to SCOTLAND: The Big Picture and their mission. SBP are also a part of the Scottish Rewilding Alliance, who are calling for Scotland to become the world’s first Rewilding Nation and sign the charter, which calls for 30% of Scotland’s land and seas to be committed to rewilding. If you also want to help support, you can sign the charter  here !