Beavers

The Beaver Project is a joint project, funded by the ‘Restore the Thaw Landscape’ National Lottery Heritage Fund Project that aims to create a beaver enclosure at Amelia Trust Farm. The Beaver Project involves Amelia Trust Farm, The Vale of Glamorgan Council, Local Natural Resources Wales staff, and advice and guidance from the Welsh Beaver Project.

Why are beavers important?

Beavers play a vital role in enriching biodiversity. They are known as a ‘keystone species’ because their activities can benefit a wide range of other animals and plants that live in rivers and wetlands.

Beavers were once widespread across Wales, but due to hunting by humans for their fur, meat and scent glands, they became extinct after the Middle Ages in Wales. By the end of the 1500s, they were extinct from the rest of Britain too.

Why at Amelia Trust Farm?

Amelia Trust Farm has a highly suitable habitat for beavers.

The pond in the woodland would act as a release site, offering stable water levels and very rich feeding. The existing wildlife viewing infrastructure would provide excellent viewing platforms and opportunities to host groups and guided walks. We hope this infrastructure could be updated as part of the project.

For our visitors, the beaver project would provide a range of engagement and education opportunities for the local community and further afield.

Details about the Beaver Project

If the licence application to Natural Resources Wales is successful, we plan to create a 3.4-hectare (8.4 acres) beaver enclosure which would be home to a small family of beavers (3-4 individuals).

The beavers would come from Scotland with the help of beaver experts from the Welsh Beaver Project and will have full medical checks and health screening before they are moved to the Amelia Trust Farm.

The enclosure will have a perimeter fence line of around 750m and will be built to the latest best practice specifications. The area contains one large pond, a stream and network of ditches and an area of wet woodland. There would be plenty of food for the beaver family and lots of space for them to explore.

Feedback about the Project

“I think beavers would be a great addition to the Farm and would absolutely enhance the visitor experience. Educational talks and opportunities for children to learn about beavers would be great”.

“Would be very excited to bring the kids to learn about Beavers somewhere so close to home”
“Development and education is key to making the farm more appealing to visitors”

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everything is possible

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