Sidmouth: Beavers defy Devon drought on River Otter

New drone images have shown how beaver dams have kept an area of land near the River Otter green, despite a drought having been officially declared in Devon on 12 August.

But around two hectares of the land, used for grazing cattle and owned by Clinton Devon Estates, has reportedly been lost, with one hectare completely underwater.

There are currently a number of beaver families living on the Lower Otter catchment. They were the subject of a five-year study, the River Otter Beaver Trial, to explore the impacts of beavers on the British countryside.

East Devon Pebblebed Heaths Ranger Ed Lagdon highlighted the positive impact the animals are having.

He said: "They will change the environment around them and manipulate the conditions to suit them. In this location the beavers have used sticks and mud to create several dams which are now holding back large volumes of water.

"The water is up to two feet in some areas and is fantastic for wildlife such as birds and invertebrates. It also brings flood prevention benefits and carbon capture within the wetland."

Beaver in the River Otter (Clinton Devon Estates)

'It's a bit of a conundrum for us'

However, with around two hectares of grazing farmland lost, the challenges of having the beavers in the area have also been noted.

Clinton Devon Estates' Head of Agriculture Sam Briant-Evans said: "It's been quite surprising to see how quickly they've worked, it's taken less than six months.

"The concern we have is if we move them on, they may move upstream again which could cause issues if they are closer to the main farm.

"It's a bit of a conundrum for us as an Estate as we can see both sides of the equation. We need to accept that the beavers are there but they need to be closely monitored and managed going forward, so their activities and any potential flood issues can be monitored and we can tackle it quickly.

"There's no clear solution. However, what this does highlight is that with the right management and by working with them, they can help in the adaptation to climate change."

New government legislation will make it illegal to disturb, harm or kill beavers from 1 October.

'The cost of managing beavers is far outweighed by the social and economic benefits'

John Varley, Clinton Devon Estates Director, said: "In the right place, beavers can bring about major benefits for wildlife, the environment and society, including increased biodiversity, which is a key aim of the Government's Nature Recovery Network.

"Clinton Devon Estates supported the River Otter Beaver Trial from the beginning because we wanted to understand the full impact of beavers in a real-world setting. During the project we learnt a great deal about these benefits, such as cleaner water, natural flood management and habitat creation.

"However, we have also witnessed negative impacts when beavers are in the wrong place: farmers' fields, private property and roads flooded, as well as trees damaged.   

"As the beaver population on the River Otter grew and expanded, so did the need for proactive management, and all the costs associated with that.

"We believe that if properly funded by Government, the cost of managing beavers is far outweighed by the social and economic benefits to nature and the public."