Derbyshire Wildlife Trust “Beavers are Back” – TDEG Meeting 24 November 2021

We had an excellent whole group meeting with Kate Lemon (Derbyshire Wildlife Trust) on 24 November, focusing on the return of Beavers to Derbyshire.

Kate explained this challenging project to reintroduce this native species to the DWT Willington Wetlands nature reserve in the south of the county. She also highlighted the wildlife and habitat benefits of having this keystone species back in our area, as well as their contribution to flood mitigation and other ‘nature-based’ solutions to environmental problems. 

We particularly enjoyed the videos of the actual reintroduction, as two Beaver ‘couples’ swam off into the lakes.

Kate’s full presentation with notes, can be viewed here – 

DWT Beavers are Back Presentation

Kate also explained that the Government is currently considering designating the Beaver as wild native species again, which means they won’t have to be kept behind fences in the future and would be protected as a wild mammal. The results of their consultation will be available in 2022.

Many thanks to everyone who attended our first meeting for some time ‘in person’. Your generous donations covered both TDEG expenses and Kate’s, as well as a donation to the DWT Beaver project. Many thanks.

If you are interested in the DWT ‘Adopt a Beaver’ gift pack, there is more information here.

And the live video of the Beaver release at Willington Wetlands earlier this autumn is available here.

Our next TDEG whole group meeting is likely to be on 2 March 2022, and to focus on renewable energy options for the home. More details to follow soon.

Adopt a Beaver gift pack

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