The RSPB is pushing ahead with plans to relocate beavers to their Loch Lomond nature reserve in Gartocharn – despite fierce opposition from local residents, farmers and anglers.
Last week the charity submitted a licence application to NatureScot to move a family of between two and six beavers to the Bonnie Banks, describing the potential move as “a huge milestone for beavers in Scotland.”
They add that they aim to work with the local community to address any concerns.
In September, residents in the village claimed the consultation had been too narrow, with 45 joining a public meeting organised by Kilmaronock Community Council - and many outlining their opposition.
Local farmers and anglers spoke of their fears after an “eye-opening” trip to Blairgowrie in Perthshire, where they said tunnelling by beavers had caused banks to collapse during higher water months, washing down silt, trees and seeds from invasive plant species.
There are also fears of the threat beavers pose to fish in Loch Lomond.
At the time, Gartocharn resident Sally Page – a former Conservative councillor – said: “The breadth of the consultation has been very narrow despite the watershed of Loch Lomond being 265 sq miles.
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“By tunnelling under riverbanks, they cause the banks to collapse, sending sand and silt down the river that chokes-up the spawning beds, thus hampering the breeding of the salmon.
“The dams they build stop the salmon from getting upstream to spawn.
“They are a threat to flora that is unique to the nature reserve, as beavers are indiscriminate as to what greenery they eat.
“Beavers love to chop down trees, how are we going to protect these from the beavers and how much is it going to cost?
“Local people are very concerned at the rushed way in which this translocation is being done.”
The RSPB say that wild beavers have already been spotted around Loch Lomond, and that they hope that any concerns from residents can be overcome.
Their application continues: “Whilst we, and many others, may be excited about the idea of more beavers in the Loch Lomond area, we are aware through our engagement that others have concerns about living alongside beavers again.
“We have endeavoured, through our engagement process, to answer as many of these concerns as possible, whilst also highlighting the management and mitigation system that is already in place in Scotland to deal with any potential negative impacts.
“The conversations around beavers, what they can and cannot do and what help is available if impacts are experienced, need to continue and, regardless of the outcome of our licence application, we are keen to keep these discussions alive.
“We are hopeful that we’ve shown that moving a family of beavers to Loch Lomond, using our reserve as a release site, is good for beavers, good for biodiversity and good for people, and that we’ll get the permission to rehome a family later this year.”
A family of beavers were previously relocated to the Argaty Red Kites Centre near Doune as part of plans to grow Scotland’s population of the animal.
In their application, the RSPB add: “Beavers are a crucial part of our wetland ecosystems, capable of creating complex and dynamic features that benefit species from birds to amphibians and dragonflies to fish.
“With current ambitions to halt nature loss by 2030, beavers are a key species that benefit a whole raft of wildlife through their own restoration.”
