Wildlife

Beavers control flash floods in Scotland

A population of beavers in Scotland that was blamed for flooding may actually be preventing it, a study has shown.

Dams built by beavers in eastern Scotland act like a sponge, experts say, and mitigate flooding by storing and then slowly releasing water.

The presence of the reintroduced animals also benefits the wider environment by improving biodiversity and lowering levels of agricultural pollutants, according to the study published in the journal Freshwater Biology this week.

The research comes after residents in Alyth blamed beavers for flash flooding in July last year, saying some of the debris washed through the village in Perthshire showed signs of being chewed by animals upstream. But in October, experts said beavers were not responsible and the flooding had been caused by heavy rain and a high flow in the river.

Naturalists confirmed last year that more than 150 beavers are living and breeding successfully in the wild in the southern Highlands after escaping from nearby private collections. Ecologists called a reintroduction scheme at Knapdale in Argyll an “outstanding success” after four pairs produced 14 young in five years.

Last year, Natural England agreed to allow wild beavers living in Devon to remain at large after a campaign by conservationists.