Beaver viewing centre approved after species given protected status

These beavers live in a seven-acre enclosure at Cors Dyfi Nature Reserve

Plans to build a beaver observatory at a nature reserve are to go ahead following confirmation the species will have protected status in Wales.

Powys council gave the go ahead for the structure at Cors Dyfi Nature Reserve at Derwenlas, near Machynlleth, following an application by Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust (MWT).

Beavers became extinct in Wales just after the Middle Ages because they were over-hunted for their fur, meat and scent glands, before disappearing from the wild across Britain by the end of the 16th Century.

But the species has re-emerged in recent decades in fenced enclosures on reserves or have been found living in rivers through unlicensed releases and escapes.

The proposal at Cors Dyfi is for the installation of an observation building and boardwalk access, along with a feeding station which will have a ramp leading to it from the water.

The building will be elevated above ground level, have solar panels on its roof and consist of a single room with seating.

MWT said the enclosure will be monitored regularly in accordance with its license from Natural Resources Wales.

Planning officer Aled Williams said that although situated within a flood zone "it is not considered that the proposed works would cause any flooding implications, and it is not vulnerable development".

How the beaver observatory at Cors Dyfi Nature Reserve at Derwenlas might look

Wildlife charities have called for a formal reintroduction of beavers into the wild in England and Wales because they could combat the climate crisis and help water quality.

Known as a "keystone species", beavers play a vital role in enriching biodiversity by restoring and managing river and wetland ecosystems.

A new project from the Welsh Wildlife Trust to help with reintroduction is based on the beaver management strategies that have already been developed in Scotland and Devon, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Earlier this month, the Welsh government confirmed it would follow England and Scotland in making beavers a protected native species under Welsh law.