BBC presenter John Craven has called for the re-introduction of beavers so they can re-wild Britain and “help put things right”.
The Countryfile presenter described them as nature’s engineers and urged policy makers to bring back the “brilliant” animals. The UK has been without them – bar several hundred living in enclosures or illegally reintroduced – since around 1526, when they were hunted to extinction.
But Craven, 84, wants to see their widespread return.
READ MORE: Countryfile viewers sickened as BBC host filmed ‘playing with poo’ in grim segment
Click for more brilliant Daily Star news stories
Writing in BBC Countryfile Magazine, he said: “The cost of defending our countryside from the effects of climate change and other crises facing nature will run to billions. But there’s one group of helpers who could play their part for free if we’ll let them – beavers.
(Image: BBC Studios/Pete Dadds)
“Not for nothing are they known as nature’s engineers. They manage wetlands and rivers by building dams, coppicing trees, reducing flooding, improving water quality and creating ideal habitats for other species.”
However, Craven said the “downside” was the impact their activities can have on fishing and adjacent farm businesses.
He continued: “While Wales still doesn’t protect beavers by law and England, after three years of consultation, has yet to approve their release into the wild, Scotland has welcomed them since 2009.
(Image: Getty Images)
“A highlight of my Countryfile career was an evening that year spent at a loch in Argyll’s Knapdale Forest. Suddenly the silence was broken by the splashing of the first beavers to be officially released in the UK as they emerged from their lodge and swam towards us in the diminishing light – a magical moment.”
More have been released in Scotland since then, but Craven is calling for the rest to follow suit.
“The British landscape has changed dramatically since beavers were last here,” he continued. “Sometimes that change has not been beneficial. Bringing back these brilliant ecosystem engineers could help put things right.”
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters .