From glw@globalnet.co.uk Fri May 14 16:17:09 1999 Date: Fri, 14 May 1999 05:25:55 GMT From: Graham Willers To: sustag@metalab.unc.edu Subject: Re: Chestnut Questions On Tue, 11 May 1999 15:59:02 +0100, gates Big snip......... >thanks to errant collectors over the years in large country estates with >bad fences. We also have a new specie of big cat in Scotland called the >Kellas Cat ?? Thats interesting. Do you know anything more about this? I havn't heard about it before. I seem to recall wolves have been or >are about to be released into Scotland This is very unlikely to happen for about 100 years yet. Not just because they arouse such controversy amoung sheep farmers and the like - but because they require such a broad range they are unlikely to be successfull in the areas that would be available for them. The 200 year plan to link the remnants of the Caledonian Pine Forest around the Cairngorm mountains will eventually provide a wide enough range but it will still be difficult politically. and some idiot is marthering on >about beaver. I reckon if he'd had more beaver he'd be less worried >about reintroducing them to a fragile landscape. I really must take exception to this. There is so much misunderstanding regarding the potential release of the EUROPEAN Beaver ( Castor fibor NOT Castor canadensis) into Scotland. This animal is entirely vegetarian for a start and does NOT eat fish as I never cease telling the local fishermen. They rarely if ever venture more than 100 metres from the waters edge. They are 'central place' foragers and their preffered food is grasses and other herbaceous material, mainly bulrush, common reeds, quillwort, water horsetail and water lilies. It is only when this materail is not available that they switch to tree bark. In this they prefer Aspen, Birch and Rowan but will take Willows and Alder if pushed. Debarking of Conifers is very rare. They will take Scots Pine bark very occasionally and they don't - to the best of my knowledge - touch Sitka Spruce (main commercial species in Scotland). The maximum diameter of any shrub or tree stem they can eat is about 8mm. The felling of trees for dam-building is most likely the aspect that worries people. The dams are built to keep the water level above the burrow entrance. If the water does not naturally fall below the desired depth then they will not build one. Simple as that. For example in a Lapland reserve they built dams in only 18.7% of sites and the preffered diameter of stems is only 1.5 to 3.5 cm. It has been an indigenous species for over 12 million years in Europe and was definately present in Scotland until the 12th century and almost certainly until the 16th century and its demise was due in large part to its valuable pelt which was a Scottish export at that time. This is not really the place to go into an in depth article but I hope you will take my word for it that after extensive research by Scottish Natural Heritage the conclusion was that the reintroduction of Beaver would result in negligable damage to trees and the benefits - especially to water courses and fishing - far outweigh any disadvantages. This is mainly due to the fact that the small number of ponds they create act as sediment traps, moderate flooding, help to neutalise acid run-off, provide extra food for invertebrates and fish ( via the trapping of organic matter) and create additional habitat for other creatures. They have been introduced into 87 locations in Europe since 1920 and 53% of these introductions have been successfull. Also we ( The UK ) have a legal obligation to investigate the possibility of reintroduction of species under Article 22 of the EU Directive on conservation of Habitats - The so-called 'Habitats Directive'. This covers the 'liste' species on 'Annex 4' of which the 'keystone' species of Castor fibor is one. Quite apart form the legal obligation (IMO) we have a moral obligation to do so. The financial returns that would result from greatly increased tourism revenues is another reason we need them in 'fragile environments' - I think you will find the the definition of 'environment ' also includes the people who live in it and the socio-economic factors involved. The experince in Poland is a marked net benefit to the local economy following their reintroduction. In these days of falling margins in forestry and the increased need to conserve biodiversity the Beaver is a perfect example of environmentaly sound diversification for profit. Well thats enough of this 'idiot marthering on' for the moment. I would love to hear other UK forestors comments on this - I have the feeling I will anyway. ; ) Regards Graham Willers Inverness Scotland (:-). >Jakal, almost a legend if only in his own tea break. > > email address: Jakal@gates.demon.co.uk >--------------------------------------------------------------------------- >No copyright notice is included in this message as the author is litigious! > >Nothing in the above message is to be taken as being without error or final >or the opinion of anyone other than the author and then only at the time of >writing it - probably. The author reserves the right to spell any word, or >words really badly, to perpetrate grammatical errors and use words that are >not even English. He will, however, be glad to clarify anything on request >--------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >"For friendship's sake, hang your >old shoes in the yard. >House spirits really love this." Ken Johnson, Household Spirits, > Llewellyn Magical Almanac 1997. >"So does the wife." Jakal, e-mail banner, > well before 1998. >--------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > >