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"Natural England has developed a detailed licencing regime and application process to make sure that stakeholders are engaged and landowners are supported." I

"Natural England has developed a detailed licencing regime and application process to make sure that stakeholders are engaged and landowners are supported." I don't understand what a stakeholder is in this context. Also, why are licenses involved? What does this even mean?

vjk800 2y ago
A license is needed to be a beaver in England. Beavers not carrying license cards will be considered illegal aliens and returned to their country of citizenship.
seanw444 2y ago
> Also, why are licenses involved? It's the UK. (Sorry, had to.)
- fiftyacorn 2y ago
  I imagine there is an impact on downstream water so needs to be considered before granting a licence
  - Litost 2y ago
    I'm not sure of the licence specifics related to downstream water, but in general: The impact on downstream water is almost entirely positive, the leaky dams they build filter sediment and excess nutrients (often from fertiliser run off). They also smooth out peak water flow to help alleviate downstream flooding. Obviously this comes at the cost of flooding areas behind their dams, but this can also be positive, because in the increasingly dry summers, the ponds they create help keep the land upstream cooler and wetter. The beaver site in Ealing, London was mostly funded because it was a cheaper solution to help with downstream flooding than equivalent hard infrastructure and a significant cost of that project was the fence to keep them in. Even fish which need to navigate upstream, can leap these dams because they have co-evolved with the beaver, and also beavers are vegetarian so don't predate the fish. Obviously the main problem, is because in the UK we wiped them out, we've not co-evolved with them, hence the problems of them flooding land that would regularly have flooded, but we have decided to use for other purposes. I highly recommend anyone who's interested in ecosystems go visit an established beaver site, the mosaic of habitats they create can support large amounts of biodiversity.
seabass-labrax 2y ago
The stakeholders in this matter are primarily third-sector organizations in support of beaver reintroduction, of which the many regional Wildlife Trusts are most prominent, and farmers, who are generally but not entirely against reintroduction. The licences are necessary because with such a sensitive issue, it must be ensured that only responsible and well-resourced organizations can release beavers into the wild. Otherwise, beavers may be introduced into areas that are unsuitable for them, or into areas where they will cause disproportionate damage to farming operations, and either eventuality would harm the perception of beavers. If that happened, the beavers might become so unpopular that it becomes politically impossible to continue with the reintroduction, so it's in everyone's best interests to be careful. Beavers are wonderful animals and can be very beneficial to their local environment, but you can't just dump them on a housing estate or something and expect good results. I don't know what the exact criteria is, but the winding, damp brooks of the area where I live have been among the successful trial areas for beaver reintroduction. An abundance of willow trees is one factor that makes for an ideal beaver environment, for instance.
- lurk2 2y ago
  > but you can't just dump them on a housing estate or something and expect good results. How do you prevent them from spreading to these locations once they are reintroduced?
  - markdown 2y ago
    Ask them nicely.
    - GJim 2y ago
      And if that fails, we invite them to an interview without tea and biscuits.
  - chad_oliver 2y ago
    Another stakeholder meeting.
  - 2y ago
ashoeafoot 2y ago
you get 50€ if your tracor axle breaks because your wheel sinks into a lodge.
optimalsolver 2y ago
You got a loicense for that beaver?

vjk800 2y ago

A license is needed to be a beaver in England. Beavers not carrying license cards will be considered illegal aliens and returned to their country of citizenship.

seanw444 2y ago

> Also, why are licenses involved? It's the UK. (Sorry, had to.)

fiftyacorn 2y ago
I imagine there is an impact on downstream water so needs to be considered before granting a licence
- Litost 2y ago
  I'm not sure of the licence specifics related to downstream water, but in general: The impact on downstream water is almost entirely positive, the leaky dams they build filter sediment and excess nutrients (often from fertiliser run off). They also smooth out peak water flow to help alleviate downstream flooding. Obviously this comes at the cost of flooding areas behind their dams, but this can also be positive, because in the increasingly dry summers, the ponds they create help keep the land upstream cooler and wetter. The beaver site in Ealing, London was mostly funded because it was a cheaper solution to help with downstream flooding than equivalent hard infrastructure and a significant cost of that project was the fence to keep them in. Even fish which need to navigate upstream, can leap these dams because they have co-evolved with the beaver, and also beavers are vegetarian so don't predate the fish. Obviously the main problem, is because in the UK we wiped them out, we've not co-evolved with them, hence the problems of them flooding land that would regularly have flooded, but we have decided to use for other purposes. I highly recommend anyone who's interested in ecosystems go visit an established beaver site, the mosaic of habitats they create can support large amounts of biodiversity.

seabass-labrax 2y ago

The stakeholders in this matter are primarily third-sector organizations in support of beaver reintroduction, of which the many regional Wildlife Trusts are most prominent, and farmers, who are generally but not entirely against reintroduction. The licences are necessary because with such a sensitive issue, it must be ensured that only responsible and well-resourced organizations can release beavers into the wild. Otherwise, beavers may be introduced into areas that are unsuitable for them, or into areas where they will cause disproportionate damage to farming operations, and either eventuality would harm the perception of beavers. If that happened, the beavers might become so unpopular that it becomes politically impossible to continue with the reintroduction, so it's in everyone's best interests to be careful. Beavers are wonderful animals and can be very beneficial to their local environment, but you can't just dump them on a housing estate or something and expect good results. I don't know what the exact criteria is, but the winding, damp brooks of the area where I live have been among the successful trial areas for beaver reintroduction. An abundance of willow trees is one factor that makes for an ideal beaver environment, for instance.

lurk2 2y ago
> but you can't just dump them on a housing estate or something and expect good results. How do you prevent them from spreading to these locations once they are reintroduced?
- markdown 2y ago
  Ask them nicely.
  - GJim 2y ago
    And if that fails, we invite them to an interview without tea and biscuits.
- chad_oliver 2y ago
  Another stakeholder meeting.
- 2y ago

ashoeafoot 2y ago

you get 50€ if your tracor axle breaks because your wheel sinks into a lodge.

optimalsolver 2y ago

You got a loicense for that beaver?