Presenter Gordon Buchanan heads home to Scotland to explore the Beaver Trust’s efforts to “regenerate the beaver species to regenerate the landscape.” This charity works to reintroduce animals to their historical habitats, fostering climate-resilient landscapes across the UK. We speak with Elliot McCandless from the Beaver Trust and Tom, a fifth-generation farmer with a unique role compared to his predecessors.

Our conversations, though far from the baobab, share similar ambitions, challenges, and conflicts. We met with Elliot and Tom by the mud banks of a beaver lake, home to the second family of beavers introduced to Tom’s land in February 2022. The translocation and reintroduction of beavers in Scotland stir up controversies, with conservationists, farmers, government officials, and local residents all holding differing views on the beaver population.