Famous Family Farm Criticizes NatureScot’s ‘Failure of Leadership’ in Delaying Beaver Reintroduction in Scotland
A renowned family farm in Perthshire, which is known for being Scotland’s only private site to have legally reintroduced beavers to the wild, has spoken out against NatureScot’s recent decision to stall a community-backed proposal to reintroduce beavers to Glen Affric in the Scottish Highlands.
Tom Bowser, author and owner of Argaty, a working farm located on the Braes of Doune in central Scotland, has received widespread support on social media from prominent commentators and conservationists for his criticism of NatureScot’s leadership.
This controversy arose when NatureScot delayed its decision to grant a license application for the historic official release of beavers in Glen Affric earlier this month, citing ‘concern among the local community and its representatives’.
The license application was submitted by another government agency, Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS), in December 2024, after two years of extensive local engagement. NatureScot senior staff had previously commended the consultations, stating that they were ‘exemplary’. These consultations, which also involved leading charity Trees for Life, showed that two-thirds of the people involved supported the release of beavers on FLS land in Glen Affric.
Tom Bowser expressed his disappointment, saying, “Something is very wrong at the heart of NatureScot. What more can there possibly be to consult on? This cowardly stalling is just one example of the agency acting against the interests of wildlife and communities.”
Bowser also highlighted the benefits of beavers for biodiversity and flood control, stating that his family farm has witnessed these benefits firsthand. He added that many people, including schoolchildren, university groups, celebrities, and politicians, have visited Argaty to see the beavers and appreciate their ecological engineering.
“It’s incredibly sad that the people of Glen Affric are being denied the joy that beavers bring. As Scotland is one of the world’s most nature-depleted countries and the environmental crisis is the greatest threat to humankind, Scotland’s nature agency should be doing everything in its power to encourage the spread of beavers. However, we are not seeing any leadership from those responsible for restoring nature,” Bowser said.
BBC Springwatch presenter Iolo Williams also backed Bowser’s statement, saying, “NatureScot=not fit for purpose.”
Beavers create wetlands that benefit other wildlife, absorb carbon dioxide, purify water, and reduce flooding. They can also bring economic benefits to communities through eco-tourism.
Argaty became Scotland’s first private site to legally reintroduce beavers to the wild when a family of beavers, including three kits, was relocated to the farm in November 2021, saving their lives. They were moved from arable land in Tayside where NatureScot had issued beaver-killing licenses to prevent damage.
This was a significant moment in Scottish wildlife history, as it was the first time beavers had been moved from an unsuitable location to a new part of Scotland. A second family of beavers was relocated to the farm in February 2022.
In his upcoming book, “Waters of Life: Fighting for Scotland’s Beavers,” Tom Bowser describes the challenges and difficulties he faced while relocating the beavers, due to bureaucratic resistance from NatureScot officials and behind-the-scenes maneuvers by representatives of landowner lobby groups.
“We have a government policy aimed at increasing our small beaver population by translocating these biodiversity-boosting animals to new parts of Scotland. Repeated surveys show that most Scots support this. We also have the world’s most comprehensive official guidance, which guides applicants through the process of attempting wildlife relocations,” Bowser said.
“FLS and Trees for Life followed this guidance to the letter, conducting a gold-standard consultation and gaining overwhelming local support. But now, democracy has been defied, and their proposal has been blocked. This cannot be right,” he added.
Bowser also expressed his confusion about NatureScot’s behavior, considering that Strathglass, where the opponents of the proposal reside, already has an established beaver population. He questioned how a well-thought-out application from another government agency could be considered too controversial to proceed, and expressed concern about the future of beavers in Scotland.
“This is not an agency that Scots can be proud of; it’s one that we should be embarrassed by. The fear is that NatureScot has been ‘collared’ by politicians. In a cynical attempt to win rural votes ahead of an election year, John Swinney seems determined to give the National Farmers Union lobbyists everything they want, even if it means sacrificing biodiversity,” Bowser said.
“We need an agency that is willing to champion coexistence with wildlife, brave enough to overcome resistance to vital change, and humane enough to support everyone through that difficult process. The only
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