One of the most intriguing facts about wild Beaver populations in the UK is that none of them has a known origin. All of them are formed of suspected escapees from private collections or subjects of unauthorised releases. Because of this, the governing bodies of each country have had difficulty responding to these populations as they spring up. The Beaver that were released in Enfield are just another step in normalising and observing the Beavers impact on our ecosystems.

In England, a population appeared on The River Otter, Devon, in 2008. A video emerged of a female beaver giving birth at the location which sparked the UK Government to begin the process for their removal. The surrounding community and the Devon Wildlife Trust campaigned against this decision, arguing the importance of the population to the surrounding ecosystem and the positive effect the tourism was having on the area. An agreement was reached whereby the beaver would be allowed to stay as part of a 5-year trial. During this trial, the beaver and the landscape were monitored to see their impact and in 2020 it ended and was allowed to remain at the River Otter. In Scotland similar populations have popped up and have resulted in the Beaver being officially reinstated as a native species, giving it protection.

Beavers are one of the least subtle ecosystem engineers, felling trees and constructing dams. Despite popular culture portraying beavers as eating fish, they are actually vegan. These dams have a gradual but large effect on ecosystems. Immediately they begin slowing down the river current and once fully assembled slowly release water further downstream from the pools/reservoirs that accumulate behind them. This slow release is very important as it can help reduce the risk of flooding and drought downstream through the seasons. The dams also can help filter the water that passes through them, removing pollutants from farm runoff and removing soil and silt from the river. The dam most importantly creates a new Wetlands Habitat, this is created through the raising, widening and slowing of the river. Trees that previously existed on the bank of the river now become flooded and consequently die, creating standing deadwood or snags. These conditions attract all sorts of creatures to the area, developing and increasing its biodiversity!

Beavers were hunted to extinction in the UK for their fur, meat and castoreum, a chemical compound they excrete. The UK Government's Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs held a consultation into the viability of beaver reintroduction in England in August and is currently assessing the responses to reach its final conclusions!

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