Beavers in Scotland to be given legal protection

In a significant development, the Scottish Government have finally announced that they will introduce legislation to add beavers to the list of European protected species. As a consequence, any person wishing to control beavers (e.g. by shooting) will require a licence from Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). The move, welcomed by many people and organisations but probably not all landowners or farmers (e.g. Farmers Weekly) , would also mean it would be an offence to to disturb beavers during the breeding season, as well as kill/injure any beaver. (Scottish Wildlife Trust, The Courier, Scottish Natural Heritage, Express & Star, BBC News, SPICe Spotlight, The National, Evening Express). Guidance on protected status mitigation by Chris Lindley can be found in The Courier (8 April).

Posted on February 25, 2019 at 10:22 am

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