Waters of Life: Fighting for Scotland’s Beavers

by Tom Bowser

In November 2021, in a major moment in Scotland’s history, a family of beavers was spared a death sentence and relocated to a Perthshire farm. Their arrival at Argaty, Tom Bowser's home, paved the way for a new era in human–beaver relations.

In this deeply personal account, Tom tells of his attempts to save these incredible animals, of the support and opposition received and of the unimaginable gains that beavers ultimately brought to his home. He also explores the wider themes of rewilding and nature conservation in Scotland, meeting some of the leading lights of this exciting movement, highlighting the work they do, the challenges they face and showing why ecological restoration is so important for the future of our planet.

272 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2025

About the author

Tom Bowser grew up on his parents’ Perthshire farm. After university he worked as a teacher and then as a journalist before returning to Argaty in 2009. In 2017 he took over the running of the conservation project Argaty Red Kites, and in 2018 launched the Argaty Red Squirrels project.

Reviews

[Murdo Murchison · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read! Highlights the importance and impact of bringing back beavers to Scotland. Touches on other reintroduction efforts as well. Shows the importance on potential of living with nature instead of at odds with it. A little meandering at time but an easy read. Definitely worth reading it.

[Irene Motion · Rating 5 out of 5]

Should be compulsory reading for everyone.

[Catherine Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Waters of Life is a real page turner that will take you on an emotional roller coaster as Tom Bowser shares his story of the challenges and joys of bringing beavers to his family farm in Scotland. In our nature depleted country, we have largely forgotten how to live alongside nature as well as losing any real sense of what it is we have lost from our landscapes. Tom shows us in his deeply personal account what it takes to fight against the odds to help restore a truly astonishing species that was lost from our shores around 400 years ago. With the help and support of a group of true nature heroes, we learn that it takes gritty determination, a willingness to maybe lose some friends along the way, time, commitment and so much more to restore a species. But the rewards are huge. Beavers are eco engineers; a keystone species who, through their natural instincts, provide a home for so much other nature. They help create vital wetlands which humans benefit from too. They are, in short, worth fighting for. An absolute triumph of a book - I highly recommend.