Two beavers have moved into a second enclosure in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire.
Last Wednesday marked more than a year of work between Forestry England and the Beaver Trust to reintroduce adult beavers to a 12-hectare enclosure at Perry Hay, near Spruce Ride at Speech House.
The male beaver from Devon was originally born in the Forestry England Yorkshire enclosure and joined a Scottish female at their new home where they will build dams to improve the wetland habitat.
The project is part of an ongoing commitment to bring the species back to the nation’s forests and follows a successful run of reintroductions at Greathough Brook, Yorkshire, and more recently Wyre Forest.
Beavers were once widespread throughout Britain but were hunted to extinction by the sixteenth century. Today, beavers are a protected species and successful reintroductions are taking place across the country. Perry Hay sits within the Blackpool Brook catchment and feasibility studies undertaken by the Beaver Trust identified this area as the perfect place for beavers.
Robert Cullen, Forest Waters Delivery Manager, for Forestry England said: “Beavers are ‘ecosystem engineers’, creating a unique habitat through their tree felling and damming work. They create pools, wetlands, submerged and standing deadwood and beaver meadows which each support a wide range of mammal, fish, amphibian, invertebrate, bird and plant species. Their activity slows the flow of water meaning the area stays wetter during drier seasons and that flood peaks are reduced following heavy rain.
“This new enclosure lies on Perry Hay brook, in the headwaters of the Blackpool Brook catchment. This is the second home for beavers in the Forest of Dean following Greathough Brook release in 2018. The Greathough Brook site has developed spectacularly over the past six years and has become a hub for wildlife.
“This release is the fruit of months of work by volunteers, contractors, the Beaver Trust and Forestry England staff. We are thrilled to see this pair of beavers arrive at their new site and excited to see how the site develops over the coming years. The interest and support that the release has received from the public has been very encouraging.”
Dr Robert Needham, Restoration Manager for Beaver Trust, said: “We’re very happy that more Forestry England sites including Perry Hay and the Wyre Forest have come forward for beaver translocations this year and it is fantastic to see another pair getting to work in the Forest of Dean. We are thankful for their continued support and advocating beavers and the benefits they can bring.”
