This week, landowners and residents from across Lochaber took part in a ‘Living Alongside Beavers’ learning day, organised by the Loch Abar Mòr Partnership. The event combined site visits and discussions with researchers and land managers in Speyside – one of Scotland’s key areas for beaver restoration – offering Lochaber participants the chance to learn directly from those already living and working alongside beavers.

Loch Abar Mòr is a nature restoration partnership working at scale to enable communities across Lochaber to thrive in an ecologically diverse and climate resilient landscape.

‘This event was about sharing the wisdom of lived experience with those in Lochaber who may be most impacted by the return of beavers,’ said Abel McLinden, Partnership Manager for Loch Abar Mòr. ‘A key aim was to discuss how we can manage beavers in a way that supports the interests of farming, fishing and waterways, while realising the ecological benefits they bring.’

Following an introduction to the Spey Beaver Project, participants visited active beaver sites and heard from Jonathan Willet, Cairngorms Beaver Project Manager, whose work focuses on monitoring and mitigating beaver impacts. The group also met landowners in Inshriach and Kingussie to discuss topics ranging from tourism opportunities to burrowing concerns, and learnt from Kirsten Brewster, Wildlife Comeback Lead at rewilding charity SCOTLAND: The Big Picture, about how beavers interact with aspen and contribute to woodland regeneration.

‘Lochaber and Loch Ness were the last known locations of beavers in Britain before they were hunted to extinction in the late 17th century, so it felt fitting to be discussing their potential return to these landscapes,’ added Abel. ‘Beavers are nature’s engineers. By re-naturalising the landscape, they regulate water flows and build resilience to extreme weather, helping us adapt to climate change. And in restoring these habitats, they also have huge potential to boost biodiversity.’

The Loch Abar Mòr partnership brings together land managers, communities and businesses from across Lochaber who share an ambition to restore and reconnect a thriving network of natural habitats, to return more wildlife to the landscape, and to create new social and economic opportunities for the region’s communities.

For more information, visit: https://www.lochabarmor.scot/

ENDS