IEMA North West: Bringing Beavers Back (to Cheshire)

The Eurasian beaver is a large herbivore, a mammal that was formerly native to the UK and once played an important part in our landscape from prehistoric times until it was hunted to extinction in the 16th century for its fur, meat, and scent glands. The loss of this charismatic species also led to the loss of the mosaic of lakes, meres, mires, tarns, and boggy places that it so brilliantly built.

In November 2020, Cheshire Wildlife Trust released a pair of Eurasian beavers (named Willow and Rowan) into a 4.5 hectare enclosure at Hatchmere Nature Reserve near Delamere Forest. The beavers have been extremely busy since their release, felling trees, creating lodges, and building numerous dams.

This webinar, led by former Cheshire Wildlife Trust Nature Recovery Programme Manager Kevin Feeney, introduced the Delamere beaver project, providing an update on what the beavers have been up to and giving an insight into beaver ecology and conservation.