Beavers in Scotland: consultation on the strategic environmental assessment

4.13 Beavers and Cultural Heritage

4.13.1 How Beaver activity affects the Cultural Heritage

Historically important monuments and structures

As detailed in section 4.1, beavers are burrowing animals that dig into banks along suitable water courses, lined with deciduous tree cover to create dens. They will also utilise suitable islands for shelter and foraging. They create scrapes, slides and bankside dens in particular areas of their territories and will therefore have an impact upon some banks of watercourses. They dive to shallow depths to dig up tubers of aquatic plants and use nearby bankside mud when building lodges and dams. In the course of constructing these, trees are felled and the timber floated to the required location. Accordingly, there is the potential for beaver activity, for example through burrowing causing subsidence, or dam-building causing localised floods, to affect historic sites.

There appear to be no documented cases of beavers damaging archaeological sites, but beavers' use of timber for construction material and underwater foraging could mean that any exposed timbers or archaeological deposits on, for example, crannog sites could be at risk from disturbance. In addition to potential direct impacts on submerged features from the above activity, the potential for changes in water levels which could affect the preservation of organic remains on such sites.

Gardens and Designed Landscapes

Ornamental gardens and ponds that connect to watercourses may be occupied by beavers. In most cases they may not be present for very long, but they can radically alter the aesthetic appearance by felling ornamental trees, burrowing or feeding on garden plants. Ornamental gardens and arboreta are relatively common features in Scottish, and the wider British, landscapes, with some being of international importance. Large specimen trees in the vicinity of watercourses can be readily protected, although this may be harder for multi-stemmed shrubs or other palatable vegetation. It is likely that they will feed on a range of plant species that do not occur in their natural habitats.

Other cultural benefits derived from the reintroduction of Beavers

The Beavers in Scotland ( BiS) report studied the interaction of beavers with the Human Environment. This considered the socio-economic implications of the reintroduction policy, the economic arguments of which are largely outwith the scope of the environmental assessment. However, it does illustrate the cultural value that people and local communities place on having beavers reintroduced into the environment. This was illustrated in the public support for the reintroduction which came out of the public consultation and survey work in particular. These benefits include recreational and educational value and a 'non-use' value attributed to the reintroduction of a charismatic species.

Table 4.13.1 Summary of positive and negative effects of beaver on cultural heritage interests

Activity	Mechanism	Positive effects	Negative effects	Notes
Felling	Change in riparian woodland: Opening of woodland canopy and increased patchiness	Increase in amount of light reaching watercourses and therefore stabilisation of banks and reduction in erosion due to binding effect of bank and riparian species, could help to protect historically important features within the riverine area
Felling	Change in riparian woodland: Change in relative abundance of different tree species		Possible reduction in deep-rooted species that bind bank material and therefore possible increase in erosion. Felling of trees of commercial or ornamental value.
Felling and Constructions	Changes in amount/diversity of woody material in watercourses	Increased number of wood jams, resulting in attenuation of flow and lowering of downstream flood risk and improvements in water quality as fine sediments settle in areas of slower flow Maintaining water levels which could help in the preservation of submerged organic remains.	Increased number of wood jams so a possibility of localised floodplain inundation and impacts on historic land use.
feeding	Feeding on specific terrestrial herbaceous and aquatic plant species		Underwater foraging could mean that any exposed timbers or archaeological deposits could be at risk from disturbance. Feeding on specimen trees, shrubs and garden plants could impact on the quality of gardens and designed landscapes
Dams/pond creation	Change in hydrological processes on riparian and downstream habitat	Hydrological cycle and water flow maintenance: - increased flood storage, and therefore a decrease in downstream flooding, maintaining water levels which could help in the preservation of submerged organic remains.	Increased flooding of riparian zone and beyond, so potential impacts on historic land uses such as historic gardens and designed landscape, encampments, settlements and field systems within riparian areas Flooding of terrestrial land upstream/adjacent to lochs may result in deterioration of water quality through decay of vegetation and leaching of nutrients from soils
Dams/pond creation	Changes in water quality downstream	Bio-chemical remediation, e.g. beaver dams reduce the rate of erosion and sediment movement, and therefore the speed at which sediment leaves streams and rivers which could help protect submerged archaeological remains Creation of ponds on inflow waters may lead to improvement in the quality of water in the receiving waterbody through attenuation of flow, sedimentation of solids and assimilation of nutrients within the ponds	Reduction in turbulence upstream of dam, and so a decrease in the rate of water oxygenation Creation of ponds on inflow waters may lead to deterioration of water quality of loch inflows through changes in pH, a decrease in dissolved oxygen levels, a build-up of pollutants and disturbance within the ponds which could have an effect on submerged archaeological remains
Other constructions	Creation of lodges, burrows, canals etc.		Burrowing activity affects flood defences, sites of historical importance such as canals, crannogs, moats, earthworks etc.
Other		Various 'cultural ecosystem services' related to recreational, educational, aesthetic and symbolic aspects		These types of impacts are not connected to any single beaver activity per se, and may relate to the mere presence of beavers (e.g. as an 'iconic' animal). Also relates to socio-economic 'existence' values, and the bequest value for future generations.
Indirect habitat creation/restoration initiatives as result of beaver presence	Beaver used to promote opportunities for riparian and freshwater habitat creation /restoration	Restoration of riparian habitat, aquatic and wetland, for example by extending 'buffer zones' along the edges of watercourses, is likely to result in improvements to water quality of standing waters, restore natural connectivity in wetland-loch systems and benefit habitat and species (including those which may be otherwise adversely impacted, e.g. aspen), with consequent 'cultural ecosystem services' benefits		This may include positive impacts on tourism (e.g. for wildlife watching associated with riparian and freshwater habitats). Also relates to socio-economic 'existence' values, and the bequest value for future generations

4.13.2 Distribution of historically important monuments and structures within Policy Areas

4.13.2.1 Scheduled monuments in Knapdale and Tayside

Maps 20 and 21 and table 4.13.2 below detail the sites and locations of Scheduled Monuments within the Knapdale and Tayside potential core beaver woodland Policy Areas. Within this area beaver activity and impacts will be restricted to some freshwater features and the immediate riparian habitat. For ease of reading, larger maps are also included at A3 size in Appendix 1.

Map 20 Knapdale Scheduled Monuments, Battlefields and potential core beaver woodland

Map 21 Tayside Scheduled Monuments, Battlefields and potential core beaver woodland

Table 4.13.2 Scheduled Monuments and potential core beaver woodland in the beaver policy areas

Scheduled Monument title	Policy area
Achnamara, clapper bridge, Knapdale	Knapdale
Barnluasgan, enclosures	Knapdale
Cnoc Mhic Eoghainn, motte 170m WSW of Ballimore	Knapdale
Crinan Canal, Cairnbaan - Ardrishaig	Knapdale
Crinan Canal, Crinan to Cairnbaan	Knapdale
Crinan Canal, Loch a' Bharain canal feeder	Knapdale
Loch Coille-Bharr, mill and lade, Knapdale	Knapdale
St Columba's Cave, cave and chapel, Knapdale	Knapdale
Ardblair Castle, earthwork	Tayside
Ardoch, Roman military complex 900m NNE of Ardoch Bridge	Tayside
Auchenlaich, fort	Tayside
Auchrannie, enclosure	Tayside
Balhomie, cup-marked stone	Tayside
Balintyre, homestead	Tayside
Ballownie, mound	Tayside
Balnaguard, settlements & field systems	Tayside
Bandirran, stone circle & standing stones	Tayside
Bertha, Roman fort	Tayside
Bochastle Roman fort, temporary camp and prehistoric enclosures	Tayside
Braclaich, deserted township & field system	Tayside
Broich, cursus, ring-ditch, barrow & palisade 600m SE of Duchlage	Tayside
Campsie Linn, grange site	Tayside
Cardean Roman Camp and pre-historic barrow, Wester Cardean	Tayside
Cardean, Roman fort 230m NW of Cardean Mill	Tayside
Carnbane Castle, Glen Lyon	Tayside
Castle Campbell	Tayside
Castle Hill, motte W of Mains of Cargill	Tayside
Clunie, Castle Hill and The Ward, motte,castle and settlement	Tayside
Colliston Castle, enclosure, souterrain, ring ditches & pit alignment	Tayside
Comrie Castle	Tayside
Cragganester, farmsteads, field systems, shielings and roadways	Tayside
Craig Hill, fort and broch	Tayside
Creag Eilid, settlements, field system and cairn	Tayside
Damside, fort	Tayside
David's Hill, enclosure	Tayside
Doune Castle	Tayside
Doune Roman Fort, fort 60m S of Doune Primary School	Tayside
Duncroisk, cup & ring marked rocks	Tayside
Dundurn Fort, fort St Fillan's Hill	Tayside
Dunkeld Cathedral	Tayside
Edinchip, chambered cairn	Tayside
Elcho Castle	Tayside
Finavon Castle	Tayside
Findynate, homestead	Tayside
Fisherhills, fort	Tayside
Foirche, settlement, Dalshian	Tayside
Friock Mains, pit alignment	Tayside
Glasclune Castle	Tayside
Glenbran, ring fort	Tayside
Gleneagles Castle, tower and earthwork	Tayside
Grassy Walls, Roman camp and prehistoric settlement, Sheriffton	Tayside
Haugh of Grandtully, fort	Tayside
Huntingtower Castle	Tayside
Hurly Hawkin, enclosure, broch and souterrain	Tayside
Inchbervis Castle	Tayside
Inchrye, motte	Tayside
Inchtuthil, Roman fortress	Tayside
Innerpeffray Wood, Roman camps	Tayside
Innes Bhuidhe, forts, NE of Bridge of Dochart	Tayside
Invercauld Bridge	Tayside
Invergighty Cottage, barrow cemetery N of Boysack	Tayside
Invermark Castle and township 220m SW of House of Mark	Tayside
Inverquharity, Roman fort, Roman camp and Iron Age settlement	Tayside
Invervar, shrunken township, Glen Lyon	Tayside
Kerrowmore, motte and settlement 590m S of Innerwick	Tayside
Kilspindie, unenclosed settlement N of Mill House	Tayside
Kinclaven Castle	Tayside
Kinnaird, settlements & field systems	Tayside
Lassintullich, St Blane's Chapel	Tayside
Loch of Kinnordy, crannog 500m NW of Balbrydie	Tayside
Lochleven Castle	Tayside
Lowbank, souterrain	Tayside
Lui Water, townships 800m to 2780m SE of Derry Lodge	Tayside
Lundin, dun	Tayside
Meikleour House, motte	Tayside
Millearnwood, Roman Road, 450m N of Raith	Tayside
Millhaugh, enclosures and other cropmarks	Tayside
Milton of Ogil ring ditch	Tayside
Moulinearn, military bridge, Mill Lands of Dalcapon	Tayside
Netherton, enclosure	Tayside
Newhall Bridge, two standing stones	Tayside
Old Faskally Farm, church	Tayside
Old Lawers Village, deserted settlement, Lawers Acres	Tayside
Orchill Fort, fort 450m NNE of Orchill	Tayside
Panmure Castle and Moat	Tayside
Parkhead, ring-ditch, souterrain and enclosure	Tayside
Pitcarmick Estate, settlements, field systems and cairns	Tayside
Pitmiddle, deserted village	Tayside
Pitroddie Farm, souterrain and unenclosed settlement	Tayside
Powmouth, settlement 400m E of Haughs of Kinnaird	Tayside
Prince Charlie's Bridge, military bridge, Dalcapon Wood	Tayside
Rait Hill, fort	Tayside
Restenneth Priory	Tayside
Ryehill, unenclosed settlement	Tayside
St Blane's Chapel	Tayside
Stormont Loch, crannog	Tayside
Stracathro, Roman fort and camp	Tayside
Strageath Mains, Roman fort, annexe and field system	Tayside
Strowan Church, church and burial ground	Tayside
Tirai, settlement and standing stone	Tayside
Tom na Croiche, castle	Tayside
Tyndrum, lead mines and associated remains	Tayside
Vayne Castle, castle 290m SSW of Vayne	Tayside
Wester Tullich, sulphuric acid works	Tayside
Whiteloch, ring-ditch	Tayside

4.13.2.2 Battlefield sites

The table 14.13.3 below and maps 20 and 21 above and in Appendix 1 detail the location of the Battlefield sites within the Tayside beaver policy area. Within this area beaver activity and impacts will be restricted to some freshwater features and the immediate riparian habitat.

There are no battlefield sites in Knapdale which overlap with potential core beaver woodland.

Table 4.13.3: Battlefield sites and potential core beaver woodland in the beaver policy area

Battle of Dunkeld	Tayside
Battle of Dupplin Moor	"
Battle of Killiecrankie	"
Battle of Sheriffmuir	"
Battle of Tippermuir	"

4.13.2.3 Gardens and Designed Landscapes

Table 4.14.4 and maps 22 and 23 below (see also Appendix 1) detail the location of the Gardens and Designed Landscapes within the Knapdale and Tayside beaver policy areas and overlap with potential core beaver woodland. Within this area beaver activity and impacts will be restricted to some freshwater features and the immediate riparian habitat.

Map 22 Knapdale Gardens and Designed Landscapes and potential core beaver woodland

Map 23 Tayside Gardens and Designed Landscapes and potential core beaver woodland

Table 4.13.4: Gardens and Designed Landscapes and potential core beaver woodland in the beaver policy areas

	GDL title	PA code
Knapdale	Ballimore	8779
Tayside	Abercairny	8742
Tayside	Aberuchill Castle	8744
Tayside	Airlie Castle	8749
Tayside	Balmanno	8782
Tayside	Blair Castle	8796
Tayside	Blair Drummond	8797
Tayside	Bolfracks	8800
Tayside	Braco	9212
Tayside	Brechin Castle	8804
Tayside	Castle Campbell	9216
Tayside	Castle Menzies	8823
Tayside	Cleish Castle	9219
Tayside	Cluny House	8830
Tayside	Corrour Lodge	8832
Tayside	Cortachy Castle	8833
Tayside	Cowden Japanese-Style Garden	10439
Tayside	Craighall Rattray	8835
Tayside	Doune Park	8863
Tayside	Drummond Castle	8867
Tayside	Dunira	8877
Tayside	Dunkeld House	8878
Tayside	Dupplin Castle	9226
Tayside	Falls of Bruar	9229
Tayside	Fingask Castle	8894
Tayside	Glamis Castle	8904
Tayside	Glendoick	8911
Tayside	Grantully Castle	8915
Tayside	Guthrie Castle	8918
Tayside	House of Dun	8928
Tayside	House of Pitmuies	8930
Tayside	Invercauld	8938
Tayside	Invermay	9233
Tayside	Keillour Castle	8942
Tayside	Keir	8943
Tayside	Kinfauns Castle	8950
Tayside	Kinnaird Castle	8955
Tayside	Kinross House	8957
Tayside	Meggernie Castle	8984
Tayside	Megginch Castle	8985
Tayside	Meikleour	8986
Tayside	Melville House	8990
Tayside	Methven Castle	8992
Tayside	Monzie Castle	9238
Tayside	Murthly Castle	8998
Tayside	Ochtertyre	9010
Tayside	Rossie Priory	9032
Tayside	Scone Palace	9038
Tayside	Stobhall	9046
Tayside	Taymouth Castle	9051
Tayside	The Burn	9052
Tayside	The Gleneagles Hotel	9056
Tayside	The Guynd	9057
Tayside	The Hermitage	9059
Tayside	The Roman Camp	9248

4.13.3 Assessment of effects on cultural heritage interests within the beaver policy areas

Knapdale

At Knapdale, Historic Scotland monitored potential beaver impacts on a crannog on Loch Coille-Bharr, in particular to assess whether foraging on aquatic plants might affect the scheduled monument. Loch Coille-Bharr crannog (Scheduled Monument Index No. 10131) is a submerged artificial island presumed to be the site of a late prehistoric - early historic period lake dwelling. The recovery of timber artefacts from the site in 1867 suggests that the lake silts around the site have preserved organic deposits relating to the occupation and use of the crannog. No impact was observed and the likelihood of impact was thought to be low. The Crinan Canal (Scheduled Monument Index Nos. 6500 and 6501) is an historic and well used waterway, mostly consisting of clay-lined earthen banks with intermittent areas of stone pitching revetting the banks. The canal is fed by a system of streams and lochs, mostly unscheduled. No impact was observed during the trial period on the Canal.

The Knapdale beaver population would be expected to expand, with some likely further impacts on forestry infrastructure. This might include some flooding of tracks and other infrastructure resulting from beaver dam-building activity (including attempts to block culverts) and some occasional felling of trees onto tracks and footpaths. Animals will eventually start to move outside the forest itself, with increasing incidences of the types of impacts described above in the wider area. Continued monitoring would be required along the Crinan Canal, in particular to look for any burrowing into the canal embankments and for any beaver activity in the feeder lochs above the canal.

There is only one Garden and Designed Landscape which overlaps with core beaver woodland at Ballimore. There are no known Battlefield sites within the Knapdale Beaver Policy Area.

Tayside

The effects on the cultural heritage interests in Tayside have not been analysed to the same degree as the study at Knapdale. However, there have been nine records of beaver impacts on ornamental and amenity value trees in private gardens in Tayside. There was also a record of a fish pond being flooded.

The overall findings and recommended mitigation and monitoring measures from the study in Knapdale could be applied similarly to both submerged features and archaeological interests with riverine areas in Tayside. Table 4.13.1 above details the range of positive and negative effects with consequent implications for cultural ecosystem services. There are 97 scheduled ancient monuments coincide with the core beaver woodland within the Tayside Policy area, 5 Battlefield sites and 54 Gardens and Designed Landscapes.

4 .13.4. Mitigation Measures

There are a number of methods that can be used to protect cultural heritage interests and in some cases it may be prudent to protect especially sensitive interests before problems arise. This is more achievable for small-scale structures, such as individual features. The pre-emptive protection of larger scale structures that may be vulnerable to beaver activity, such as canals and settlements and earthworks, would be more challenging. The scale and costs involved for revetment or reinforcement to prevent burrowing would be high. There would therefore be a need to identify and prioritise those structures that may be most vulnerable. Scotland could draw on European approaches to targeting sites for management, and GIS-based tools to identify areas where beaver activity is predicted to be more likely.

There are other issues that might affect small numbers of individuals, for example damage to ornamental trees and gardens. For these, and the more complex infrastructure issues described above, the development of an appropriate management framework will be required. This will need to include guidance on management techniques (for both pre-emptive and reactive actions) and information on sources of advice and support. The effectiveness of beaver management in Scotland will increase over time as experience is gained and methods refined.

Section 5 also details the hierarchy of mitigation techniques that can be used to address impacts from beaver activities, including generic management and licencing approaches to more practical measures including those addressing:

• Dam building activities
• Burrowing activities and
• Foraging activities

These mitigation measures apply to the potential negative effects identified in relation to beaver activity and the cultural heritage.