#beaver reintroduction

[justalittlesolarpunk]

PEOPLE THIS IS NOT A DRILL BEAVERS ARE GOING TO BE FREELY RELEASED INTO THE WILD IN THE UK THIS IS HUGE!!!

It is such, such a big deal. The difference this will make for biodiversity, for carbon sequestration, for protecting us from flooding, for nature connection. People have been fighting so hard for so long to bring our beaver neighbours home and free them from the fences they’ve been kept behind. Not ashamed to admit I’ve cried a bit today after hearing this news. This is a wonderful step to make us just a bit wilder, a bit more ecologically intact, a bit more free. Moments like this remind me that progres seems unthinkable until it happens, and then it feels inevitable. I can’t wait for the first release - and shoutout to the illegal beaver bombers who got them a foothold when red tape was holding people back.

Lynx next!!!!

[thoughtlessarse]

Beavers ‘breathe new life’ into Dorset as dams built and biodiversity returns

National Trust says one year after reintroduction they are enriching habitats and may be having kits this summer

They were released this time last year with fanfare, much hope and also, perhaps, a little trepidation. Twelve months on, there have been ups and downs for the first beavers to be (officially) reintroduced into the wild in England since the semiaquatic mammals were hunted to extinction 400 years ago. Providing an end-of-year report, the National Trust, which is in charge of the project, said it was thrilled the beavers had been reshaping their new home in Dorset, where they have felled trees to construct a 35-metre dam, slowing the flow of a stream and creating a deep, wildlife-rich pool. By coppicing trees they have allowed more light in and improved habitats for plants, insects, amphibians, birds and bats – and may help stop a nearby road from flooding. Trail cameras have picked up an otter fishing in the pond as well as a barn owl hunting there, and volunteers have spotted birds including redpolls and water rails. The cameras also captured footage of two of the beavers mating, which is being taken as a sign they have settled in their new home and that there could be kits this summer.

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