Alicia Leow-Dyke has been the Wildlife Trusts Wales (WTW) Welsh Beaver Project Officer since 2016.  With over 10 years of experience working with beavers, Alicia is well placed at looking into the feasibility of re-introducing beavers.

The Welsh Beaver Project has been investigating the feasibility of bringing wild beavers back to Wales since 2005.  This work is being led by North Wales Wildlife Trust on behalf of all five Wildlife Trusts in Wales as part of their Living Landscapes strategy.

Many WVW members are interested in reintroducing Beavers, which were once widespread across the UK, but due to over hunting by humans for their fur, meat and scent glands they became extinct after the Middle Ages in Wales and by the end of the 16th Century they were extinct from the rest of Britain.

This talk will tell us more about beavers, their ecological needs and impacts and the steps and costs involved in reintroduction projects.

Beavers are very special animals because they play a vital role in enriching biodiversity by restoring and managing river and wetland ecosystems. They are known as a ‘keystone species’ because their activities can benefit a wide range of other animals and plants that live in rivers and wetlands.