For hundreds of years, beavers have been absent from Scottish waters. Their reintroduction a decade ago was controversial, particularly among farmers.

数百年来，苏格兰水域中一直没有河狸。十年前，重新引入河狸引起了争议，特别是激起了农民的反对。

The animals, which are described as ecosystem engineers, create wetlands which support other wildlife, including insects and birds. Their dams can slow the flow of water. In some areas, this has led to flooding and the destruction of crops.

河狸被喻为 “生态系统工程师”，它们通过筑坝创造出湿地，湿地为其它野生动物提供了栖息地，包括昆虫和鸟类。河狸筑起的水坝可以减缓水流的速度。但在一些地区，这导致了洪水泛滥、农作物被冲毁。

New legislation makes it illegal to destroy established dams and lodges, and to kill beavers without a licence. Some have been issued. The Scottish Wildlife Trust has urged land managers to show restraint while young kits are dependent on their parents, and to use lethal control only when all other measures to control the damage beavers can cause have failed.

苏格兰政府新颁布的立法规定，破坏河狸筑成的水坝和巢穴以及无执照宰杀河狸都是违法行为。政府已授予符合规定标准的人员执照，准许他们处理河狸。苏格兰野生动物信托基金会敦促土地管理者在河狸幼崽依赖父母的情况下应有所克制，并且只有在所有其它河狸管控措施均无效的情况下，才考虑使用致命的捕杀措施。

词汇表

absent 不存在的
ecosystem 生态系统
wetlands 湿地
dams 水坝，堤坝
lodges （河狸的）巢穴
restraint 克制，控制
kits 幼崽
lethal control 致命的控制措施，此处指 “捕杀”