Nature reserve offers visitors the chance to get up close to beavers

The Eurasian beaver Castor fiber is a species native to Wales that has been extinct for almost 400 years due to hunting.

But they have been brought back to Cors Dyfi Nature Reserve in Machynlleth to restore the wetland ecosystem and enrich its biodiversity.

Tourism bosses say the scheme will attract visitors to the area.

The Welsh Beaver Project has been operating since 2005 and is led by North Wales Wildlife Trust on behalf of the Wildlife Trusts in Wales.

Now a new partnership between the North Wales Wildlife Trust and Go North Wales aims to raise awareness about the educational attraction as well as the biodiversity benefits beavers have to offer.

And for the first time, members of the public will now be able to see them up close and personal.

Alicia Leow-Dyke, Welsh Beaver Project Officer said: "Beavers are most active around dawn and dusk so very rarely seen during the day time, but our evening events are aimed to give people the opportunity to see them.

"Animal welfare is our top priority so any viewing opportunities will be carefully managed to minimise disturbance."

Beavers were once widespread across Wales but due to over-hunting by humans for their fur, meat and scent glands, they became extinct after the Middle Ages and were gone from the rest of Britain by the 16th century.

In 2021, a small family of beavers from Scotland were released into a large enclosure at Cors Dyfi as part of a habitat restoration projec playing an important role in helping to manage the dense willow and birch scrub that is drying out the wetland.

The enclosure spans seven acres and contains three interlinked pools, a network of ditches and a mass of birch and willow scrub.

Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust’s Cors Dyfi Nature Reserve, is also home to the Dyfi Osprey Project.

The Welsh Beaver Project has already received the backing of TV naturalist Iolo Williams.

He said: "Beavers used to be in Wales and we need them back. They'll create habitats for all kinds of wildlife - nurseries for fish. for invertebrates, for amphibians, for mammals, for birds.

"They are going to be vital for much of our countryside in the future.

Jim Jones, the chief executive of North Wales Tourism, said: "Our role is to help develop a tourism toolkit to specifically look at the promotion of beavers in the Dyfi area, where they've also have done a great job promoting the ospreys.

“We're looking to create lots of resources including a downloadable brochure, podcast, guides and to engage with the local tourism and hospitality businesses in the area to gather their support."

“Beavers are amazing native animals with an interesting history and impressive building skills. The resources developed by North Wales Tourism will allow visitors to learn more about these fascinating creatures and raise the profile of this interesting new attraction in Wales.

"Across the world, there's a lot of interest in wildlife tourism and wildlife watching, and that's what we're hoping to encourage more of by providing a full comprehensive guide that can be used to promote another interesting attraction in the area. It's still early days, but there are lots of planned events in the pipeline, and we are here to assist and support the trust with their good work."

“With plans for ongoing events and support from local businesses, our toolkit aims to strengthen the connection between visitors and the natural world.”

For more information about the Welsh Beaver Project, please visit www.northwaleswildlifetrust.org.uk/welshbeaverproject or https://www.gonorthwales.co.uk/things-to-do/north-wales-wildlife-trust-p372791 and to find out more about the beaver watching events and to book, please visit https://www.dyfiospreyproject.com/whats.

Booking is essential and places are available on a first come basis.