Dam it! How eager beavers became the farmer's friend

A Cornish farmer is behind a change in the law to release wild beavers in England after witnessing the incredible benefits on his land

- Helena Horton

Chris Jones, a beef farmer, is proud of his beavers. "They are just extraordinary," he said. Since releasing a couple into an enclosure on his Cornwall farm in 2017, he says they have saved it from drought, prevented flooding in the nearby village, boosted the local economy and even improved oyster beds in Falmouth Bay.

The rodents, which were hunted to extinction in England hundreds of years ago for their fur and oil, were once a common feature of our rivers. They may be again, after the UK government last week announced it would approve the first wild beaver releases in England for hundreds of years.

Walking to the edge of Jones's farm, you can feel the soil getting damper. Lush grass - perfect for his cattle - grows around fat splodges of frogspawn as pasture slowly gives way to wetland. That, along with the half-munched willow branches strewn across the ground, is a sure sign you are entering the realm of the beaver.

Walking on, you can hear water flowing through the series of dams built by the industrious rodents, and see glassy pools around lichen-covered trees. At the top of the enclosure is a pond, featuring two beaver lodges.

The beaver enclosure was once wet pasture, and then it became a wildlife area with the pond - though before its rodent inhabitants moved in it was about a third of its current size. "I still bring the animals in to graze sometimes, particularly when it's dry," Jones said. "There is no conflict between livestock and beaver."

The habitat is stunning, with wetland areas of various depths and rivulets of water flowing at different speeds. There are shallow areas lined with gravel that make perfect fish nurseries, and lush vegetation, which come spring will be humming with invertebrate life.

But Jones yearns to free his beavers.