BEAVERS could soon be coming to the Cairngorms, following wholehearted support for species 'translocations' by the Cairngorms National Park Authority.

Now they have formal European Protected Species status, Scotland's reintroduction of beavers has reached a tipping point – the numbers on the Tay, where the species took hold without official approval, are now causing problems for agriculture in the area, and there is a pressing need for new homes for the beavers being trapped alive.

The CNPA has been considering what part it can play in this effort, and at last Friday's board meeting, it decided on a proactive approach, wishing to take on a lead role in the process, including managing the application, delivery, mitigation support and monitoring of translocated beavers into its territory.

CNPA’s head of conservation, Dr Sarah Henshall said: “As an organisation we are well positioned to take a leadership role and have in place the Cairngorms Beaver group to provide input to this project. The Park Authority already undertakes a huge amount of conservation work throughout the Park and is therefore well placed to have the right conversations with land managers, communities and organisations as we develop this work.

“A reintroduction of a species to the Park is exactly the sort of issue the CNPA was created to lead on. We have an opportunity to deliver an exemplar approach here, bringing together organisations and individuals and joining up the conservation, land management, community, research and business interests.”

Read more: Second beaver release at Argaty, Perthshire

However, Dr Henshall did stress that the CNPA’s approach will be collaborative: “We will be doing work around supporting land managers and owners, as well as communities, over the coming year to be well informed and prepared for living with beaver, prior to any application being made to NatureScot.”

By the end of this month, NatureScot will identify two or three priority strategic areas for beaver expansion in Scotland and – with partners – are establishing the governance structures, protocols, procedures, and consultation mechanisms to facilitate expansion. Modelling work is also being undertaken at a national level and ongoing work has identified the Spey catchment as one of the priority candidates for release, with approximately 7000 ha of highly suitable habitat in its catchment area.

Convener of the CNPA board, Xander McDade, commented: “Beavers can bring wide ranging benefits to biodiversity and can play an important ecological role in terms of flood mitigation and habitat restoration, whilst also recognising the need for careful management of the species to mitigate impacts on other land uses and species.

“I think there is a real benefit to taking a leading role, allowing us to dictate the timings for translocations and the pace at which the process is rolled out, ensuring that the consultation is done properly with a whole catchment approach.”