Mr Burgess said that while it found the beavers were delivering overwhelming benefits for the river habitat, there were times when action was needed, for example to bring down raised water levels when they affected roads or important crops.
He also said that while those further downstream reap the benefits of lower flood and drought risk, people such as farmers higher up in the catchment might bear the brunt of the impacts of beavers and needed to be rewarded for that.
But on the Otter, in spots where landowners have been supported to make space for water on their land the beavers have created wetlands which host species such as great white egrets and kingfishers, ospreys can be seen flying through on migration, and dragonfly numbers are “through the roof”.
Despite the Devon river’s name, beavers are responsible for all these sights, and the conservationists who have worked for years to keep them on the waterway say their presence has shown the wide range of benefits the species can bring.
Any project that is looking now to release beavers into the wild has to assess where the animals are going to be able to thrive, but crucially also where communities support their return, he said.
