Could beavers be heading for the Culm?

Beavers and bogs could be returning to wild wetlands in the upper reaches of the River Culm.

At the launch of the Connecting the Culm Forum, a community project to improve the river’s wildlife and reduce flooding in villages downstream, there was much interest in the possibility of beavers spreading to the Culm from the River Otter.

But experts leading the project said they expected the furry fellers to make their own way over the hill and they had no plans for bundling them into a van and carrying them here.

They want to work with local landowners and communities and have already been in the parish discussing with local people ideas such as:

• Restoring hydrological function to spring-line and valley mires, providing a range of ecosystem service benefits including flood attenuation and carbon storage in peat rich soils
• Damming streams and drainage channels using natural woody debris to create attenuation ponds and silt traps, reducing flood peaks and reducing downstream sedimentation
• Innovative flood alleviation features on land associated with new, large developments, showing how multi-use green infrastructure is deliverable, unlocking significant added benefits
• Planning resilience into new developments including allowing for the spread of beavers from the neighbouring River Otter catchment
• Coppicing and laying bank-side trees to imitate beaver activity, improve water oxygen levels and reduce livestock disturbance of the river bed

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Picture by Silviu Firulete