Frequently Asked Questions
In May 2008, the Scottish Government approved an application for a time-limited trial reintroduction of the Eurasian beaver to the Knapdale Forest in the Heart of Argyll. This was a joint application submitted by the Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT) and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS).
To help you learn more about the beavers and the work of the trial, we've put together a series of Questions & Answers. Simply click on the headings below to find out more...
About the Scottish Beaver Trial
- Why reintroduce the beaver to Scotland?
- How many beavers have been released and what has happened to them?
- What is the purpose and aims of the beaver trial?
- What are the benefits to the local population?
- How do we know that beavers were once in Scotland?
- Where are the beavers coming from?
- How were the animals transported to the site?
- What is the European experience of beaver reintroductions?
- How long is the Scottish Beaver Trial and what is the programme?
- How much will the project cost and where is the money coming from?
- How is the trial managed?
- During the quarantine period, what were the beavers tested for and what were the results?
- What is the role of Scottish Natural Heritage?
- What happens at the end of the trial?
- What are the success criteria for the trial?
- How you can help?
- What else is happening with beavers in the UK?
Environmental impact of beavers
- What are the potential environmental impacts of beavers?
- Will the beavers cause a lot of damage?
- What impact will the beavers have in the forest in Knapdale?
- The trial and the conservation status of Knapdale?
- What impact will the beavers have on migratory fish?
- What impact will the beavers have on water quality and hydrology?
- Do beavers pose a flooding threat?
- How will protected sites and species in the area continue to be safeguarded?
- Will the beaver population get out of control as they have no natural predators?
- Will the beavers cause damage to farmland and the wider countryside?
- Will there be compensation for damage?
- Do beavers transmit disease?
- What will happen if beavers stray outside the trial area?
- How will you track released animals?
- What will you do with any animals that stray out of the trial area?
