Eager about beavers? Understanding opposition to species reintroduction, and its implications for conservation

The range of keystone species is increasing in some parts of the world, particularly Europe, through a combination of natural recolonization, government-sanctioned and covert reintroductions. Reintroductions are an important conservation tool, particularly in the increasingly popular approach of rewilding. There is relatively little understanding of the politics, broadly conceived, of species reintroduction, particularly around how people who live alongside these newly introduced species might react, and what underpins this reaction, and how the method of reintroduction affects reactions. Here, we explore these issues through a case of beavers in central Scotland, which were covertly reintroduced. We explore opposition to reintroduction as manifest in beaver killing and dam destruction by land managers, quantifying these using the sensitive ‘bean count’ method. We also explore what underpins land managers' reactions, particularly their views and values around land and land management. We found considerable resistance. We found that beaver killing and dam destruction were widespread, both before and after beavers became a protected species. Nevertheless, beaver populations and ranges in Scotland continue to grow. We found attitudes were grounded in a strong set of relational values around land custodianship. We find a range of views towards beavers, including widespread opposition, particularly regarding the covert nature of beaver introduction, the challenge beavers and beaver protection provide to ideas of proper land management and custodianship, and a lack of trust in formal methods of beaver governance. We argue that species reintroductions policies and research should give careful consideration to potential opposition, its material impacts on reintroduction projects and how it is grounded in wider environmental values and politics.