I have been lucky enough to have seen beavers in Scotland, but also witnessed significant damage bringing beavers into direct conflict with people.

With my family farming in the Arreton Valley, I started researching the implications of beavers introductions two years ago when I became aware of the proposed Island release.

The Scottish population growth from a few unauthorised escapees around 2004 is staggering, they now cover the majority of the 5,000km2 Tay catchment and have moved to the nearby Forth Catchment.

The Island by comparison is 280km2.

The Island is smaller, busier and has less space to support a beaver population without inevitable conflict with Island residents.

Read more: How beavers would be managed on the Isle of Wight

Read more: Meet the woman who will manage Isle of Wight beavers

I have spoken with affected Scottish farmers and they have given their impassioned opinions and many photographs of costly and lasting damage to land, trees and infrastructure.

Nature Scotland are grappling with their rapidly expanding number of beavers and, culling being unpalatable, animals are being relocated to new areas within Scotland and south of the border.

Conflicts with farmers are most often cited but the impacts are felt by all landowners including horse paddocks and woodland, cycle paths and road/ rail infrastructure.

After two decades Scotland are still trying to find effective ways to manage as beavers territories expand.

Concerns beavers would spread on Isle of Wight

The Island's specific proposed release area might be an attractive site for beavers but as the two to four young are pushed out to establish their own territories, the population will very quickly be inhabiting the kind of landscape they are being translocated out of in Scotland due to conflict; fertile, flat, low-lying land.

I don’t want farmers to lose the ability to farm, and I don’t want conflict because landowners need to protect their livelihoods and properties.

I believe the UK contains far more suitable locations where introductions can take place and the beavers would have the space to thrive — allowing time for Natural England and the Wildlife Trusts to truly determine how, and if, the effects of the beavers' landscape engineering can be managed effectively with minimal conflict in a shared environment.

I don’t feel that this is the right time, nor that the Island is the correct environment to be a test case for wilding such significant landscape engineers — particularly as management methods are unproven.

Once introduced, beavers will be here forever and develop territories across all river catchments. Are we truly prepared for that level of landscape engineering?

Other letters: Beware beavers coming to the Isle of Wight

Other letters: We are supposed to be planting trees not destroying them

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