Beavers could soon be on their way back to Pembrokeshire - and that's official!
The European beaver could soon be on its way back into the heart of Pembrokeshire following yesterday's Welsh Government announcement that it will be supporting the animal's managed reintroduction back into Wales.
The decision follows an evidence review conducted by Natural Resources Wales on the current state of beavers throughout Wales.
"We will now be working closely to determine the next steps for the future of beavers here in Wales because to tackle the climate and nature emergencies, we must create resilient ecological networks that allow endangered species and habitats to thrive," commented Deputy First Minister Huw Iranca-Davies who is also Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs.
"Setting out our policy position on beavers in Wales further demonstrates our commitment to halting and reversing the decline in nature."
Beavers were once a native species in Wales before they were hunted to extinction for their valuable pelts, castoreum and meat. To a lesser extent, their numbers were affected by localised habitat loss.
Their activities, such as building dams and creating ponds and wetlands help to store water which subsequently supports natural flood managements. Beaver dams can also contribute to improving water quality by storing sediments containing nutrients and pollutants, reducing the amounts that will be transported downstream. This in turn creates rich and diverse habitats supporting a wide variety of other species.
The news has been welcomed by Wildlife Trusts Wales.
"This is great news and it can't happen fast enough," said Tim Birch who is its senior policy and advocacy manager.
"It's vital that we bring back beavers to Wales as a matter of urgency as the nature and climate crises grow more acute by the day, with flood warnings regularly occurring across Wales. And beavers can help provide a natural solution to water pollution and to the flooding which is devastating our homes and businesses."
The Welsh Beaver Project has been investigating the feasibility of reintroducing beavers back to Wales since 2005 and this has involved finding out what people think about beavers generally. A great deal of public engagement work has been undertaken over the past 20 years, most recently in the Spring of 2023, when the first all-Wales online survey was conducted. This showed an overwhelmingly positive support in the animal's favour
Beavers could soon be on their way back to Pembrokeshire - and that's official!
The European beaver could soon be on its way back into the heart of Pembrokeshire following yesterday's Welsh Government announcement that it will be supporting the animal's managed reintroduction back into Wales.
The decision follows an evidence review conducted by Natural Resources Wales on the current state of beavers throughout Wales.
"We will now be working closely to determine the next steps for the future of beavers here in Wales because to tackle the climate and nature emergencies, we must create resilient ecological networks that allow endangered species and habitats to thrive," commented Deputy First Minister Huw Iranca-Davies who is also Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs.
"Setting out our policy position on beavers in Wales further demonstrates our commitment to halting and reversing the decline in nature."
Beavers were once a native species in Wales before they were hunted to extinction for their valuable pelts, castoreum and meat. To a lesser extent, their numbers were affected by localised habitat loss.
Their activities, such as building dams and creating ponds and wetlands help to store water which subsequently supports natural flood managements. Beaver dams can also contribute to improving water quality by storing sediments containing nutrients and pollutants, reducing the amounts that will be transported downstream. This in turn creates rich and diverse habitats supporting a wide variety of other species.
The news has been welcomed by Wildlife Trusts Wales.
"This is great news and it can't happen fast enough," said Tim Birch who is its senior policy and advocacy manager.
"It's vital that we bring back beavers to Wales as a matter of urgency as the nature and climate crises grow more acute by the day, with flood warnings regularly occurring across Wales. And beavers can help provide a natural solution to water pollution and to the flooding which is devastating our homes and businesses."
The Welsh Beaver Project has been investigating the feasibility of reintroducing beavers back to Wales since 2005 and this has involved finding out what people think about beavers generally. A great deal of public engagement work has been undertaken over the past 20 years, most recently in the Spring of 2023, when the first all-Wales online survey was conducted. This showed an overwhelmingly positive support in the animal's favour