Beavers!

no-one in particular · May 4, 2018

Watched a TV skit the other night, a bloke in Devon is developing a beaver colony which he will let go into the wild for all our benefit. His reason is he has a small stream running through his land and he wanted it held up by dams for some reason or other. so he thought get beavers to do the work for him. So he cannot be bothered to lay a few bundle of sticks around his stream and he is doing all of us a big favor because we wont have to do this menial work either. Of course the fact they will cut trees down that we don't want cut down or will build dams where we don't want them is irrelevant to him and we wont be able to stop it if they do. Lazy git of the year award for him.

Are these going to ruin fishery's in the future? They move in and start altering it for you, will we be allowed to fish within any distance if they do because they are going to be so heavily protected; I doubt anyone will be allowed to interfere. Just sit back and watch as your nicely tree lined fishery loses it trees and its shape gets altered which you have no control over?

Of course all the animal, bio diversity merchants are all over it, beavers existed here 500 years ago, wouldn't it be nice to see them again, we will get some and release them, wouldn't that be nice.

nottskev · May 4, 2018

Supply and demand

wetthrough · May 4, 2018

I would think the environment agency would have something to say about that. Sounds like a recipe for disaster. I wonder if he'll still think it's a good idea when his house is 2ft under water?

nottskev · May 4, 2018

Before we have a thread based on the cartoon beaver - felling forests like a demented lumberjack etc - it's interesting to look at the results on the first page if you google "Impact of beavers on the environment". From water management to water quality via local diversity, there's not much not to like.

Then check the first page of results for "Impact of carp on the environment".

Just saying, before we start grabbing the pitchforks and loading the shotguns.

markcw · May 4, 2018

I thought this post was about something else,:wh then I find out its about buck toothed furry animals

mg:

thecrow · May 4, 2018

not exactly sure about this but hasn't the DNA of the "escaped" beavers been linked to the ones in this sanctuary? its just another case of a minority thinking they know best for others.

While the EA spend money on removing then replacing then removing woody debris from water courses to prevent flooding these things will at least do one part of it for them, they will cause flooding with the dams they build and for what? just to satisfy the misguided attempt to reintroduce a creature that has been extinct in the UK since 1526, no good ever comes from mans interference and this is yet just another case of that.

no-one in particular · May 4, 2018

The program presenter said this will help stop flooding by holding water back but will that always be the case?
And what if you have a nice lake and some rare ornamental trees and they move in, are you going to be able to do anything about it-Kew Gardens has some nice rare trees and lakes!
And I never understand this "they once existed here" argument. 500 years ago there were 50 million less people about, no roads, different climate, different landscape, 80% more woodland, farm landscape was different etc. Why do they think beavers will like it, do they get a choice!
They never ask anyone, we like the idea so we are going to it.
And whats going to happen if they move in on a commercial or your nice club fishery? That's the bit I would like to know more than anything, anyone any ideas? Are you going to have to kiss goodbye to it?

thecrow · May 4, 2018

markg said:
The program presenter said this will help stop flooding by holding water back but will that always be the case?

The EA are currently hell bent on removing weirs to prevent flooding they say is being caused by holding water back, i would suggest that the presenter was only repeating what he was told by those that want to reintroduce beaver.

no-one in particular · May 4, 2018

nottskev said:
Before we have a thread based on the cartoon beaver - felling forests like a demented lumberjack etc - it's interesting to look at the results on the first page if you google "Impact of beavers on the environment". From water management to water quality via local diversity, there's not much not to like.

And I bet its one long list of all the benefits, carefully worded to pump it up and not one mention of the fall out! They only tell you want THEY want you to know.

nottskev · May 4, 2018

markg said:
And I bet its one long list of all the benefits, carefully worded to pump it up and not one mention of the fall out! They only tell you want THEY want you to know.

Actually, no. The picture is mixed, as you will see if you look it up. But it's far from the case that beavers are to be imagined as some tree-felling, flood-causing menace, and plenty of evidence (as opposed to opinion) pointing the opposite way. There's just no need to simplify things - it's the details and the facts that make the discussion interesting and worthwhile. Who are "they" - a pro-beaver conspiracy?

There is no "they" - just a world of information, put out by all kinds of sources, including neutral, scientific ones, that we can use to arrive at an informed opinion. Isn't that preferable to us having an instant opinion on something we've never really learnt much about?

john r stockburn · May 4, 2018

markg said:
And I bet its one long list of all the benefits, carefully worded to pump it up and not one mention of the fall out! They only tell you want THEY want you to know.

its all very well looking at the world through rose tinted glasses but reality is often something completely different , one so called farmer maybe keen to have such animals on his property but what happens when the animals breed ?
and spread to neighbouring land where they are not so welcome
here is a link to another hair brained idea some genius has had ;Lynx UK Trust, conservationists working to reintroduce Eurasian lynx to the British Isles
reading through is a classic example of blinkered viewing , these animals are being reintroduced to blah blah blah ,...

steve2 · May 4, 2018

So we have beavers, wild boar, mink, otters isn’t time for wolves, bears and taking some DNA from Dinosaur bones and reintroducing them after all the were all here once.

nottskev · May 4, 2018

thecrow said:
no good ever comes from mans interference and this is yet just another case of that.

To avoid the interference, we'd need to get back to before the first farming of wheat and barley and the domestication of cattle and sheep ruined the whole environment. That would be about 6,000 to 9,000 BC. Would you miss the carp (first interfered with in mid 13th century)? :wh

thecrow · May 4, 2018

nottskev said:
To avoid the interference, we'd need to get back to before the first farming of wheat and barley and the domestication of cattle and sheep ruined the whole environment. That would be about 6,000 to 9,000 BC. Would you miss the carp (first interfered with in mid 13th century)? :wh

Considering that wheat is used in bread production and barley in the production of alcohol both of which can contribute to poor health i still maintain that no good comes from mans interference. Interference with carp was a good thing, much healthier to eat fish than conume the other two.

6,000 to 9,000 that's a big period i would have thought that google/wiki would have been more accurate :wh

mikench · May 4, 2018

markg said:
Of course all the animal, bio diversity merchants are all over it, beavers existed here 500 years ago, wouldn't it be nice to see them again, we will get some and release them, wouldn't that

So did the Black Death, being hung drawn and quartered and the Spanish Inquisition ! Exist that is 500 or so years ago!!

nottskev · May 4, 2018

thecrow said:
Considering that wheat is used in bread production and barley in the production of alcohol both of which can contribute to poor health i still maintain that no good comes from mans interference. Interference with carp was a good thing, much healthier to eat fish than conume the other two.

6,000 to 9,000 that's a big period i would have thought that google/wiki would have been more accurate :wh

Bread and beer - truly, two great evils!

The wide period - possibly because farming wasn't invented everywhere at the same time.......

binka · May 4, 2018

nottskev said:
The wide period - possibly because farming wasn't invented everywhere at the same time.......

Or calendars

nottskev · May 4, 2018

mikench said:
So did the Black Death, being hung drawn and quartered and the Spanish Inquisition ! Exist that is 500 or so years ago!!

Beavers killed more people than the Black Death. Fact.

mikench · May 4, 2018

I won't go there !!!:wh

thecrow · May 4, 2018

nottskev said:
Beavers killed more people than the Black Death. Fact.

But possibly not more than alcohol.

Where will this craving to introduce long extinct (in the UK) animals? the world has changed so much since beaver went extinct so would it be fair on the animal to introduce them into such a crowded place as the UK?

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