Bringing Back the Beaver: The Story of One Man's Quest to Rewild Britain's Waterways

by Derek Gow, Isabella Tree (Foreword)

Bringing Back the Beaver is farmer-turned-ecologist Derek Gow's inspirational and often riotously funny firsthand account of how the movement to rewild the British landscape with beavers has become the single most dramatic and subversive nature conservation act of the modern era. Since the early 1990s - in the face of outright opposition from government, landowning elites and even some conservation professionals - Gow has imported, quarantined and assisted the reestablishment of beavers in waterways across England and Scotland.

In addition to detailing the ups and downs of rewilding beavers, Bringing Back the Beaver makes a passionate case as to why the return of one of nature's great problem solvers will be critical as part of a sustainable fix for flooding and future drought, whilst ensuring the creation of essential lifescapes that enable the broadest possible spectrum of Britain's wildlife to thrive.

Genres: Nature, Nonfiction, Environment, Science, Animals, Ecology, Memoir

190 pages, Hardcover

First published September 30, 2020

About the author

Derek Gow (b. 1965) is a UK-based reintroduction expert, farmer and author known for his work with watervoles, white storks, wildcats, and Eurasian beavers.

He also imported the first Heck cattle to the UK. However, after aggressive behaviour could harm or even kill handlers, a significant proportion of the herd was culled.

Born in Dundee, he left school when he was 17 and worked in agriculture for five years. Inspired by the writing of [sauthor:Gerald Durrell], he jumped at the chance to manage a European wildlife park in central Scotland in the late 1990s before moving on to develop two nature centres in England. Gow owns a 300 acre farm in Lifton, Devon, which is home to captive breeding facilities, accommodation and a working farm. Much of the land is under the process of rewilding, like the Knepp Estate. The farm is home to many species, including Eurasian lynx, wild boar, beavers, white storks, black storks, common tree frogs, and harvest mice.

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is thought that the last beaver in the UK died in the early 1500s. These large mammals were popular for their fur and for castoreum, a secretion of its scent gland. As we do with a lot of these large creatures, we hunted them to extinction. They were even technically a fish according to catholic decree so they could be eaten on a Friday. But if you go far enough back you will find people who revered them, the beaver can be traced in all manner of place names should you know where to look.

For me, it is common sense that an animal that once used to be here and was an integral part of our ecosystems should be re-introduced, but there are others who do not want to see them on rivers and wetlands. Anglers say that they will eat the fish and their dams will stop the migration of salmon and trout. Farmers claim that they are diseased and landowners want to see a pristine landscape devoid of life. It is all nonsense, of course, the ponds they create actually help the fish, they are very rarely diseased, and while they do change the landscape, helps all sorts of other wildlife and also helps us as their dams slow floodwaters down enough to stop the build-up of larger floods further downstream. It is for the better.

In Bringing Back the Beaver (No sniggering at the back), Gow tells of his often frustrating story is, at last, starting to pay dividends. He has been an advocate for wildlife and conservation ever since a trip to the Durrell foundation in Jersey. He has been responsible for increasing numbers of water voles, storks and as well as beavers is also helping with a scheme for wildcats. It has been a long struggle at times. Yes, he is a bit of a maverick, but I would much rather have people like him deciding our wildlife policy against some anonymous civil servant who wants to delay and defy these sorts of decisions.

One thing that you can say about Derek Gow is that he is livid about the obstacles placed in the way to stop the reintroduction of beavers, one of our native animals. He has been involved in many schemes that move from the feasibility stage to local consultation and before you know it, the vested interests of landowners and others work their magic in the clubs and bars and the scheme is kicked into touch.

It did make me laugh how one civil servant came and made all the usual noises about it couldn’t possibly happen and then accidentally left his briefcase there. If seemed foolish not to have a quick shufti at the contents and then he realises that they legally had no jurisdiction, it was all bluff. Something that would prove useful when Jeremy Paxton wanted to introduce beavers on his property. When challenged by DEFRA, he said that he knew that their legal team had advised that they had no authority to do what they were doing and they didn’t have a leg to stand on. The beavers stayed.

Gow is not a natural author, his writing is crisp, almost to the point of terseness, and matter of fact. He does not suffer fools, either. Thankfully there is humour in the prose too; the stories that he tells of his escapades trying to reintroduce these aquatic creatures are hilarious. The main reason behind writing this book is to reach a wider audience and to talk about the passion he has for these large rodents. He wants to see our land and riverscapes returned to the way they used to look when the beaver was a native of this country. We need more people like Derek Gow.

[Story · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm fortunate enough to live within walking distance of an urban beaver dam and enjoy visiting "Justin Beaver" and his family throughout the year. I'll enjoy those visits even more now that I've learned more about how beavers benefit our ecosystem. This was an enjoyable read and I'll be recommending that my local library purchase it.

[jrendocrine at least reading is good · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast (130 pp), frolicsome, and a nice aperitif to Isabella Tree's Wilding.

I had to read it before discussing beavers with the fam on Sunday: lynchpin (what is it!), beaver = biodiversity, natural hydroengineers!

This is not meant to be beaver biology, or even beaver engineering, but is rather a tale of excrutiating struggles to get the UK to allow reintroduction beavers (after 400 years).

The author, Derek Gow, is hardworking and extremely funny - and a hero. He's also a very good artist, the drawings introducing each chapter are very appealing.

(Strange to me that other than Tree and an assistant there are few women players here, on his side or as governmental villains, but maybe it's just that way in Beaverworld.)

[Kirsten McKenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential reading for every politician. Every public servant. Every landowner. Stop putting up roadblocks and listen to the scientists. And implement.
An incredibly emotional read, with lots of honest opinions about the state of nature conservation and the challenges it faces in the UK. This book pulls no punches. That's the best thing about it. It is honest. And it apportions blame quite bluntly. We need more books like this.
Bringing back the beavers is the start.

[Milou · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t live in the UK, but I have studied nature conservation. And although I still haven’t found a way to actually put that to use, stories like these do grab my attention. And so I requested it from Netgalley, but then never got round to reading it. Until I saw the audiobook on Scribd and finally gave it a shot. And it was great.

This is a short story (190 pages, just over 4 hours), and written accessibly written, making it an absolute joy to read. But it is also a very honest read, that doesn’t pull punches and says it as it is. No feelings are spared. And it is a very current read, even questioning the effects of COVID on nature conservation.

In short, this book tells about beavers were hunted to extinction, and Gow’s personal story of his struggles to re-introduce them. And it really is a personal story with lots of anecdotes sprinkled with a good dose of witty humour. And you don’t need to have studied nature conservation like me, or have a passion for beavers. This book is written with everyone in mind, and is very chatty, well-explained and down to earth.

This is just a delightful story written by a very passionate man. And it’s great.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was interested to learn about the reintroduction of beavers in Devon, but after reading this I’m none the wiser. Apart from a few funny reminiscences of transporting and being bitten by beavers, this is a very dull account of the author’s rewilding attempts in England and Scotland. It contains a lot of material about the UK’s environmental history that was already familiar to me from other recent works. Gow idolizes Gerald Durrell but hasn’t learned from him how to tell a good book-length yarn. Perhaps a co-author could have helped shape the material into something entertaining. There are also unfortunate homophone slips: “loadstone” for lodestone on p. 80, “flow” for floe on p. 134, and “leant” for lent” on p. 160.

[Charlotte Dacre · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Rated 3.5/5*

Gow's writing style is beautifully captivating and paints a vivid picture of his journey through rewilding. I was fortunate enough to be in attendance at a conference with Gow a few years ago, and he definitely commands respect when he enters a room. Not through dominance, but with his friendly, fearless nature. This book mirrors that energy, with chapters detailing the failures of British organisations to step-up and give nature a chance.

However, just as Gow is able to reflect on systematic failings, he also does so on a personal level with the individuals he's collaborated with over the years, which comes across unprofessional. These conversations, in my opinion at least, should stay behind closed doors and should not be published for the whole world to read.

[Ben Goldfarb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had the privilege of blurbing an ARC for Chelsea Green. Here's what I wrote:

Derek Gow might be the most colorful character in all of Beaverdom — a wry, profane truthteller who is equal parts yeoman farmer, historical ecologist, and pirate. "Bringing Back the Beaver" is a swashbuckling saga whose banks overflow with semi-legal hijinks, ribald jokes, and hard-won scientific insight. It’s also a keen lament for the nature we’ve stamped out, and an impassioned ode to rewilding that will inspire Beaver Believers in Britain and beyond.

[Sophy H · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great but sometimes disheartening book about reintroducing the beaver to Britain's rivers.

There is proposed action, form filling, consultation, meetings, discussions, secondary consultations and then f***ing DEFRA and their grouse hunting landowner sponsored negativity!

Gow details how government departments put every obstacle in the way of those trying to get nature back to its optimum via the natural action of beavers. There is evidence for the reduction in flood damage to land and property, diversification in species from wetlands creation, and the cleaning of waterways through beaver activity. Even landowners who welcome beavers on their stretch of river are threatened with the shooting/trapping/catching of beavers because there was no "government tick" on the right piece of paper. Ffs!

This book, whilst it is good, reiterates to me why I hate people, particularly those in authority and those hell bent on f***ing our Earth to the point of collapse. Those trying to help and improve matters face sanction, harassment, threats of legal action and arrest and they are sadly in the minority. I despair for this bloody planet!!

[Adam Moorhouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Weighing in at under 300 pages I am genuinely impressed at how much information is crammed into this little book. There was so much, it actually felt a bit heavy at times, but I'm thankful for the knowledge as it's been a real eye-opener and I walked away feeling quite well informed about everything Beaveresque.

There's everything in here from the history of Beavers in the UK and Europe, the decimation of their populations through exploitation, the misinformation about them, the general lives of Beavers, efforts being taken to reintroduce them into the UK and the environmental benefits.

It's a very informative and mind-blowing read and I'm grateful to the author for providing us with this much needed view of the life of the Beaver. It's obvious that education is important and books like this will really help the transition for a future of a beaver filled Britain 🦫

[Puppy_reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half was quite boring - but the last half was fascinating!

[Keen Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

SAVE A TREE, EAT A BEAVER

There is an inescapable cartoonish quality to the beaver. Incredibly fluffy and cute with that absurd looking tail it lends itself all too well to comedy interpretation, which may well be its curse and its blessing.

This is a book with a lot of impressive insights into one of the most misunderstood creatures in the wild. Unfortunately the attempts at humour don’t work and soon become irritating and simply get in the way of the bigger story. I certainly learned a lot about the beaver, which is clearly quite an incredibly smart and industrious creature, who will hopefully become a more established figure within the British countryside.

[Lauren D'Souza · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think you'll really like this book if you're a) familiar with nature conservation stories in general and b) familiar with England, Europe, their systems of environmental governance, and the beaver. I fill the first criteria, but I have approximately 0 knowledge on the second.

If you're familiar with how conservation stories typically go - you'll be prepared for the sheer level of bureaucracy that conservation really entails. This has been consistent with nearly all the conservation books I've read in the past year (for example, Stronghold: One Man's Quest to Save the World's Wild Salmon and The Snow Leopard Project: And Other Adventures in Warzone Conservation) consist of lengthy descriptions of governmental bodies, intergovernmental gridlock, and scientists frustrated at the lack of common sense and cooperation. A LOT of this short, 190 page book is exactly this.

I completely understand this frustration, but sometimes I think conservationists don't give government officials enough credit. Agencies do have to balance the interests of all stakeholders - although conservationists have this one driving goal of, say, beaver reintroduction in mind, agencies have to balance that against competing interests, say, farmers who think beavers are going to destroy their farming system. Beavers particularly are a tricky animal because they are master engineers, hellbent on customizing and altering their environment no matter where they go. Although all animals have some impact on the ecosystem around them, few have the level of impact that beavers do. It's tricky to reintroduce them because of the level of alteration that European landscapes already have - beavers work perfectly if England's rivers were naturally flowing, if floodplains were still in existence, if farmers hadn't taken over England's countrysides. But that's not the case - beavers have been almost extant for so long that the landscape completely changed without them, and reintroducing them now brings lots of fears that chaos will ensue.

I thought the history of the beaver and why it's no longer around was interesting and awful - it's really because of these big fur trapping companies who were so desperate to corner the market that they ordered their trappers to overhunt, then in order to not flood the market with a bunch of pelts at once and with no way of preserving them for the future, these companies basically set the excess pelts on fire. These amazing animals, dying for no reason.

Overall, I hope that Europeans find this interesting - it's a short book written by a clearly passionate environmentalist whose life goal has been the reintroduction of beavers in Britain. And although he's been largely successful, there are many fascinating roadblocks that he endured along the way.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley!

[I'mogén · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5 / 5

Thank you to Netgalley, for an e-ARC. All opinions remain my own.

Thoughts on the new Netgalley Shelf:

This was my first time reading something through the new Netgalley shelf app and it was a very smooth experience. Not pleased that it gives you a limited time to read certain arcs though as it throws me back to the stressful time trying to read via my pc. The generous 50 (?) days is a good amount of time though and I guess it insights you to read these books promptly, but I feel stressed seeing the time go down.

Now on to actual relevant book thoughts:

I was excited to see this come up to request because it's a topic that interests me particularly having studied conservation on my animal management degree, I've always had an interest in how species help the environment, the stigma around certain species in relation to their decline in numbers and how to help, and where safe to do so, the reintroduction of species.

Reading how they were hunted and killed nearly to extinction, particularly during the Medieval Ages, was so barbaric and cruel. Yet to see how they've fundamentally always had an essence... a spirit so to speak throughout Europe felt almost magical.

It read almost like a story (at times a bit pretentious) and because of that it was very moreish. I read so many pages without realising how long I was sitting there, being absorbed. It was easy to read and was basically a history of beavers, their extinction within certain areas and their reintroduction. It could almost be read like a hero tale. I loved it and believe that it could be quite accessible with the average consumer, but maybe not so much for people who specialise in reintroduction and perhaps require or prefer more scholarly texts. It was also pretty funny.

I enjoyed the little illustrations between each chapter.

There were a lot of appendices which I was excited for, but quickly found that unfortunately there was no simple way to jump back and fourth to the affect as turning a physical books page would do. Because of this, I had to wait until the completion of the main body of text and so expecting to be hazy on the context, when finally reading the appendix notes, I was happily surprised to see it was just a list of references and not full on additional notes, which I had thought it would be.

The epilogue read so beautifully. The whole piece was lovely to read but here I felt the author felt free to be a little poetic and it left a lasting impression.

Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén

[Isabel Losada · Rating 5 out of 5]

I spent all day today reading this book. It's one of the first days of cold - the winter is coming, in the USA RBG lies in state - the threat of a second lockdown looms - people are miserable, isolated - the news is mercilessly depressing and everything and everyone seems to have gone crazy.

Except Derek Gow. This book presents as a story about the rewilding of Britain's Waterways with beavers - but, for this reader at any rate, the story is one man's determination to do what needs doing in spite of the petty minded insanity, stupidity and ignorant prejudice all around him.

When Derek writes, 'Have no regard for the words of the witless. They neither love nor care.' I feel as if he is speaking directly to me. All those of us that struggle to protect the natural world have felt despair at petty authoritarians and pen pushers at Whitehall who, (to quote Greta Thunberg) put 'the fairy-tale dream of eternal economic growth' before the protection of the very planet on which we live. Those of us that care profoundly that this week humans are cutting down 300 year old trees for a railway they neither want nor need - can easily feel alone. It is easy to feel a huge weight of sadness - they are 'culling' badgers again this week.

But here - between the covers of this book - is a sane man. Here is a man who has just kept going and kept taking actions to restore wildlife to our countryside. There must have been many times when he felt downcast, discouraged, overwhelmed by all the stupidity. But he kept going. And we have beavers living wild in the UK. I feel so profoundly grateful to him.

And that's why 'Bringing Back the Beaver' has five stars from me and would have ten if I could give them. A beautiful book, a profound and important book and a consoling book at a moment when, heaven knows, we need positive optimists and consolation. Thank you Derek Gow.

[Stephen the Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometime you read a book where the passion of the author and the beauty of the language is so immersive that you reach the end feeling that you’ve been on an incredible journey. This is a multi-faceted book; an historical exploration of the beaver within Britain and across Mainland Europe; a glorious description of the countryside , wildlife and the atmospheres it provokes but most of all this is a love story to a forgotten and neglected native species and the trials and tribulations to return the beaver to its rightful place in the British landscape. The frustrations and “brick walls” encountered along the way from ill-informed and biased organisations and Government departments is quite frightening when we consider the fragility of the planet and ecosystems. However the perseverance and bloody- minded tenacity of Derek Gow and compatriates finally provides some ray of hope for the future. From a wildlife enthusiast who knew little about the beavers within Europe, this a stunning book- full of fascinating facts blended with comical events and the challenges encountered by Derek. This is a book to be enjoyed but more importantly helps to broaden all of our knowledge about the battles that are to be met when trying to bring a balance back to nature that has been destroyed by man’s greed and short-sightedness. After recent global events,, this book shines a light on the potential that mankind can achieve if it works together.Thank you, Derek , for a beautiful and moving book .

[Chantal Lyons · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fairly short but entertaining and illuminating account of efforts to restore the beaver to its rightful place in British ecosystems. Gow irreverently explains how conservation and environmental management in the UK often end up working (or don't, as is often the case), gives us a whistle-stop tour of the entwined cultural history of beavers and humans, introduces us to a few particular characters (human and beaver), and makes a passionate and reasoned case for why the beaver matters to us as well as to other species. I was charmed by Gow's unabashed love for beavers; he was not afraid to say that beavers "love" their babies, and for that alone I commend him.

A slightly quirky but good addition to the shelf of any rewilder, environmentalist or amateur naturalist.

*With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy, in exchange for an honest review*

[Paul Damant · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing read, this book mainly gives accounts of disagreements with land owners/government bodies, very brief on any mention of this amazing animal and what it can do to restore our land, would have been great to see how this process happens.

[Mr O'Neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant, passionate and occasionally hilarious polemic. A cry for urgent action to save the world via the release into the wild of a large aquatic rodent.

[Shankar Singh · Rating 3 out of 5]

“No other creature it seems – other than perhaps elephants and humans – has such a profound and dramatic impact on the landscape. The beaver is an ecosystem engineer, architect of watery kingdoms and riparian habitats teeming with life, restorer of natural hydrology, creator – even – of soil itself.”

3.5⭐️

This brief but passionate book outlines the hunt of beaver to their extinction in the Britain and Gow's attempt to reintroduce it to the it’s natural habitat once again.

The author, Derek Gow, a farmer turned ecologist, is a straight-talking, honest and delightfully witty writer who is passionate about wildlife and totally dedicated to the project of re-establishing beavers in British landscape. He has also reintroduced water voles and the white stork to Britain.

There are lots of stories about who did what when, and there is a lot of humour wrapped up in them. He covers the beaver fur and castoreum trade. Castoreum, exuded from sacs near their anal glands, which they use to scent mark territory, was thought to have medical properties. Medieval apiarists believed it made bees more productive and it is still used to add ‘leather’ notes to perfumes.

He also provides accounts of bureaucratic drives to cull beavers who successfully mated in the wild and outright opposition of the government to reintroduce the beavers.

Bringing Back the Beaver is a quick read for those who enjoy nature-writing, but also for the reader who has little contact with the countryside and its wildlife; for the reader like me who has never seen a beaver in the wild.

I also enjoyed the little illustrations between each chapter. It provides a fantastic insight into the world of beavers. Recommended to all.

Thank you to Chelsea Green Publishing, NetGalley and the author for the ARC of this book.

[Carolien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Derek Gow has been involved in projects to reintroduce beavers to the UK for at least two decades. Beavers were hunted to extinction in Great Britain at least 3 centuries ago although their presence remain commemorated in place names and certain land structures. Prior to reading this book, my knowledge of beavers was minimal and the author provided a solid introduction into the species, their habits and role in the environment. Through his travails he conveys the scale of disjointed policies and lack of coordination between various government and private sector entities. Written with humour as well as righteous anger and beautifully illustrated by the author, this is an invaluable introduction to the politics of beavers in the UK.

It is telling that public sentiment has changed from mostly antagonism to the idea of beavers in UK rivers a decade ago to a situation where the Labour Party in Chester in the May 2023 local elections included a beaver re-introduction project as part of their local electoral platform. The fact that tours of the Cheshire Wildlife Trust beaver project are fully booked months ahead of time Is a testament to the dedication of people like Derek Gow to the cause over such a long time.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this one more than I did. I’ve had it checked out from the library practically since it first came out (and I’m the one who suggested the purchase), but I keep picking it up and putting it back down because the writing just isn’t grabbing me, and the narrative jumps around so much, I have trouble following the where and when and who. I’m a big believer in the quest to reintroduce beavers everywhere they were once native, so it’s not like I needed the author to persuade me. I just need a coherent storyline.

Also, this is billed as “riotously funny,” but I must not have gotten to that part yet. I read 83 pages of the 170 (not counting the Acknowledgements, Notes, & Index), and I guess I am just spoiled by reading Mary Roach’s narrative nonfiction, which actually is hilarious. So since I can’t renew the book anymore—someone else has a hold on it—I’m going to call it quits. It’s not a bad book, and I’m a fan of the premise! I hope others enjoy it and learn some new information.

[Evie · Rating 4 out of 5]

“If you’re a ‘beaver nut’ and realise earnestly just how critical these creatures are to the future well being of the earth, with a pivotal role in the creation of abundant biodiversity, water provision, purification, flood and drought alleviation, you will pursue beaver advocacy with the kind of tedious zeal generally restricted to deluded members of obscure religious cults.”

You can feel his passion in his writing as well as his frustration with how complicated this project was to achieve. It’s an enjoyable read and very funny especially when describing those who do not share his love of beavers. It also had interesting insights in ecological decision making in politics and how tedious and ineffective these can be when trying to make a difference as a nature conservationist.

[J · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is probably an interesting story to tell about how beavers were reintroduced into Britain. This book isn't it. This book wanders vacuously around from irrelevant anecdote to pointless diversion, with no through-line or even a remotely clear progression of events. Gow spends an inordinate amount of time rambling about

"...a drinking game called the ‘Knights of the Flaming Arsehole’, which operates on the basis of your pals choosing a drink for you – pints of beer were the most common option – and betting you could not drink it while lying face down on the floor with a rolled-up beer matt stuck up your bum, the opposite end of which had been primed with brandy. You were a winner if you drank it before the flames reached your flesh, and presumably a sore loser if not"

And yes, that is a direct quote from Chapter 6 "A Disabled Walrus Might Be Possible." What does this have to do with bringing back the beaver? Absolutely nothing.

Besides unrelated scenes like that, what this books is largely composed of is a non-stop string of ad hominem attacks on government regulation (and governments in general). Over and over again, the author drops his thin pretence of a narrative and goes back to listing insults of all the people he doesn't like because they don't let him do whatever he wants. I was shocked by how utterly immature the author's complaints were. He sounds like a whining child calling his teachers names in a schoolyard because they told him to come back inside. Even when I share his dislike of certain figures, I cannot take seriously an author that sulks and screeds instead of substantiating any of the claims he asserts.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed feelings about this one. I hoped for some detailed insight into the case for reintroduction of beavers, and some balance with regard to the objections. But instead Derek Gow presents a rather one sided and evangelistically toned tract that lacks any balance and frequently resorts to ad hominem points against the opposition, points that are as amusing as they are infuriating. It’s not very well structured or edited and I found the chronological
narrative hard to follow at times. That said, it was a quick read that afforded me some new knowledge, including an anonymised reveal of the source of the beavers that mysteriously appeared in Tayside!

[SS · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

The reintroduction of the long extinct beaver into the UK. A challenging space to work in, with so much red tape.

This book is written from the perspective of the person looking to reintroduce beavers, with heart on his sleeve approach and some rich landholders supporting his efforts, occasionally.

The book portrays this as a fairly chaotic, accidental process, but given the bureaucracy and people's inability to have challenging conversations in the modern world, this was the only likely approach.

Many beavers appeared to have died at the hands on both sides of this debate, which is the saddest part of this. Innocent creatures dying as a result of humans pursuing their own forms of 'right'.

[Shelbycat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious and informative.

[Chloe Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspiring and full of great anecdotes. Makes me feel hopeful for the future of biodiversity in the UK

[Sarah Ingledew · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit too dry and dull for me. I'd find myself grabbed for a chapter and then be day dreaming whilst reading the next.

[Erin Gutish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid book about beavers!