North York Moors National Park Authority

Item 14 North York Moors National Park Authority 1 October 2018 Yorkshire Beaver Enclosed Release Trial 1. Purpose of the Report 1.1 To present information about a proposed Beaver enclosed release trial in the North York Moors National Park and agree the Authority’s response. 2. Background 2.1 The 25 year Environment Plan advocates greater use of natural flood management techniques to reduce the risk of harm from flooding. 2.2 In the Derwent catchment, a pioneering ‘Slowing the Flow’ project has been implemented to reduce the risk of flooding in the lower catchment by using natural flood management techniques in the upper catchment. It uses a wide range of measures which work together at the catchment level to mitigate flooding downstream such as blocking moorland grips, tree planting, introducing woody dams and the construction of a substantial earth bund to hold back large volumes of water during flood events. The Authority was closely involved with this work through its ownership of the Levisham Estate, as planning authority for much of the area and as an active member of the project partnership. 2.3 To complement this work, the Forestry Commission (FC) has proposed a project to create a 16ha enclosed trial beaver release site on their own land in Cropton Forest to investigate the efficacy of the use of beavers as a technique in natural flood management. 2.4 The objectives of the trial are to: a) Assess the beavers’ impact on the long term sustainability and maintenance of existing ‘slowing the flow’ wooden dam structures b) Study the water attenuation of any additional structures created by the beavers c) Encourage the restoration of riparian and open water habitats and increase biodiversity along the river corridor d) Explore opportunities for ecotourism and to engage and educate people e) Investigate the impact of beaver on the control of rhododendron in a riparian habitat 3. The Trial 3.1 A project method statement for the licence application made to Natural England (NE) is in Appendix 1. This document explains the trial in detail. 3.2 The trial is proposed in the Sutherland Beck Valley in Cropton Forest. The release site is a 16ha enclosure with a mixture of beech and pine with a rhododendron understory. There are also plantations of Norway spruce, Scots pine and Douglas fir with minimal understorey and ground flora and stands of mixed age silver birch. The site also contains two existing ponds and a number of manmade wooden dams of various sizes constructed as part of the Slowing the Flow project. 3.3 The site has been assessed by Derek Gow (Derek Gow Consultancy Ltd) and is considered as highly suitable for Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) release due to the combination of habitat, topography, presence of manmade flood mitigation, a good baseline of water flow data and access. 3.4 The site would be enclosed with a 1.2m high post and tensile wire fence which would adhere to the minimum standards required to contain beaver as set by species specialists and NE. Potential escape routes upstream and downstream such as ditches, culverts and drains will be blocked using in-water engineered solutions. All of these structures, apart from the fence (as it is less than two metres high), require planning permission which will be sought shortly. 3.5 The beavers will be released in a small family group which could be up to 8 in number (adult breeding pair, their yearling offspring and young). The carrying capacity for the site has been estimated to be a maximum of 15 individuals. 3.6 Beavers will be translocated using specialist beaver husbandry and transporting methods and could come from captivity in Europe or the UK, the wild in Scotland under licence or the wild from continental Europe. 3.7 As is best practice, the beavers will be microchipped to assist with identification. Their health will be monitored with trail cameras and through annual trapping for health checks and tagging of new offspring. 3.8 The site will be fenced using a tried and tested design to minimise the risk of escape from the enclosure. The site will be inspected weekly by FC staff and volunteers to ensure the integrity of the fence line with additional checks following significant weather events. The site itself minimises the risk of escape in that the enclosure provides suitable and abundant habitat so the temptation to try and escape is reduced. A strategy for dealing with escapees has been devised in consultation with species experts and is included in Appendix 1 (page 18). 3.9 Baseline surveys of the terrestrial and aquatic habitats and species will be undertaken prior to the beavers’ release and followed up annually to monitor change. Fixed point photography, water level monitors and rhododendron mapping will also take place as part of the baseline data collection. 3.10 The activity of the beavers and the impact on habitat would be monitored using drones which will in record the topographical and vegetation changes on an annual basis. Water quality monitoring will also take place upstream and downstream prior to the beavers release and annually thereafter. 3.11 The trial would last for a period of five years, after which an assessment would be made as to whether the beavers would stay within the enclosure or be returned to a holding facility in Devon. 4. Consultation 4.1 NE is the decision making body for the grant of the licence (under Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981). NE are set to approve this licence. They have asked for a letter of support from the Authority before they do this, however, as we are not a statutory consultee they would be able to give their approval without this. 4.2 FC are currently undertaking a local consultation with a wide range of stakeholders and will be holding a public meeting in October to give people chance to discuss the proposals and raise any concerns. 4.3 Policies in the Management Plan are generally supportive of the idea and officers believe it has considerable merit for the reasons given in the proposal. The NPA has however not got any specific policy in this area and consulting people is its preferred method of operation. Therefore officers recommend that the NPA wait until the results of the local consultation prior to giving its official response on the project. 5. Financial and Staffing Implications 5.1 The proposal would inevitably involve officer time but this is not expected to be significant. The Authority expects to be asked for a modest financial contribution but this issue would be best dealt with after a formal view is taken on whether to support the licence application. 6. Contribution to National Park Management Plan 6.1 Although there are no specific Management Plan objectives to reintroduce species into the Park, if approved, this project would contribute to the achievement of Management Plan objectives E1, E11, E13, E42, E43 and E44. 7. Legal Implications 7.1 There are no legal implications arising from this report. The NPA is not a designated advisory body but an informal consultee. 8. Recommendation 8.1 That Members delegate the decision to support the application to officers, unless local consultation reveals strong objections, in which case the decision will be referred to full Authority. Contact Officer: Briony Fox Director Polyhalite Projects/Acting Director of Conservation Tel No 01439 772700 Background papers to this Report File ref None Appendix 1 Yorkshire Beaver Enclosed Release Trial Project Objectives, method statement and monitoring. Adult Beaver at Knapdale – Steve Gardner Site location – Sutherland Beck, Cropton Forest Project Lead partner – Forestry Commission Yorkshire Beaver Enclosed release trial. 01/06/2018 Page 1 1. Introduction The new Defra 25 Year Plan for the Environment proposes that natural flood management (NFM) measures should be more widely used as an integral part of the country’s approach to reducing flood risk. The Slowing the Flow Partnership (STF) is in the process of quantifying the longer-term contribution of NFM measures and mitigating future costs associated with maintaining structures or channel interventions. Costs associated with installing and the subsequent maintenance of woody debris dams and associated structures are a key issue hindering the adoption of STF projects here and elsewhere in areas subject to spates of flood water threatening downstream infrastructure. The proposal is to create a 16ha enclosed trial beaver release site in the Sutherland Beck Valley, Cropton Forest. (Fig.1) Sutherland Beck flows into Cropton Beck which feeds into the River Seven and is part of the River Derwent Catchment. Nearly a kilometre (824m) of the beck will be within the enclosure. The surrounding habitat within the proposed enclosure is a mixture of widely spaced beech and pine with a rhododendron understorey, plantations of 1954’s Norway Spruce, 1940’s Scots Pine and 1970’s Douglas fir with minimal understorey and ground flora and stands of mixed age Silver Birch. There are 2 existing ponds in the proposed enclosure. These ponds were created in the late 19th century as fish ponds for the Keldy Castle estate; they first feature on the 1891 OS maps. They are a historical feature in the landscape with a high conservation value. This stretch of the Sutherland Beck was part of the original ‘Slowing the Flow’ research project focusing on natural measures to alleviate flooding downstream and there are 2 semi-engineered man-made timber bunds in place across the beck. Yorkshire Beaver Enclosed release trial. 01/06/2018 Page 2 Fig. 1 Drain Outlet of pipe Existing ponds from river Drain River 2-3m wide Drain Drain River 3m wide Path to follow fence line Large timber bund Fencing to follow best line along contour Large timber bund (outside enclosure) Yorkshire Beaver Enclosed release trial.

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