Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust (HIWWT) have defended their plans to introduce Beavers on the Isle of Wight, after an Isle of Wight nut grower told News OnTheWight he fears for the future of his business.
HIWWT say the benefits of beavers include their ability to restore biodiversity, minimise the risk of flash flooding downstream and filter pollutants out of rivers.
King: Success might be short lived
Mike King runs Stockbridge Nuttery based in Whitwell and grows cobnuts, walnuts, almonds and sweet chestnuts. He recently received national recognition in the cobnut class at the National Fruit Show in Kent.
Mike said,
“The business started when we planted about a hundred trees in 2016. We are just starting to get our first good crops so to do so well is very encouraging.
“We have our tree nursery at home at The Mill in Alverstone where we propagate and raise new trees. Success might however be short lived.”
King: We could have our trees destroyed before we get to full production
Mike went on to say,
“The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Nature Trust are intending to release beavers a few hundred yards away from our property and they have identified our land as prime habitat for their beavers.
“One of the favourite foods is hazel trees! It seems so unreasonable that they can release protected animals knowing they might destroy our livelihood.
“The Trust have also identified our main growing site in Whitwell as suitable for colonization by beavers so we could have our trees destroyed before we get to full production.”
Tween: Plenty of suitable habitat on land managed by Trust
Izzie Tween, Beaver Recovery Project Officer at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, has responded with reassurance telling News OnTheWight,
“The Eastern Yar and its tributaries have plenty of suitable habitat for beavers, including large swathes of protected land designated as nature reserves and managed by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust.
“Should beavers stray onto private land, there are plenty of options available to support landowners from any potential damage caused by beavers.”
Grants available for protection of trees
Beavers, which were hunted to extinction in the UK around 400 years ago, are making a comeback in Britain. Wild populations of the species are thriving across England and have been recognised as a native species by the government.
Izzie went on to explain,
“While beavers mostly feed on willow, they may turn to other tree species, including hazel, if willow is hard to come by. The government have made grants available through the Countryside Stewardship scheme to support landowners. This funding aims to protect valued individual trees and permanent crops, such as orchards, nutteries and horticultural crops, from beaver activity.
“For landowners not in scheme, the Trust are committed to supporting local residents and minimising conflict by installing fencing and tree guards and managing other beaver activity for the duration of any granted licencing period.
“The Trust has been entrusted to manage wildlife and wild spaces for the people of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight for over 60 years, and will continue to share their knowledge and expertise to support the coexistence of nature and our community for hopefully many more years to come.”
Image: Charlie Marshall under CC BY 2.0
