Reviews
a beautifully written and deeply personal book...Waters of Life offers a vital insight into the frustrations, politics and hopes behind Scotland’s beaver reintroduction efforts
Scotland: The Big Picture
Beautifully written by Tom Bowser. It’s honest, fair and authentic. If you care about Scotland’s nature, it will bring tears to your eyes
Peter Cairns, Head of Rewilding at SCOTLAND: The Big Picture
a captivating tale of successful nature conservation in Scotland
Sunday Post
a valuable and informative case study
Mark Avery
Waters of Life deserves to by read by all who have a passion and commitment to nature's survival. Without individuals of Tom's sort striving at great personal cost worldwide much of the intricate wonder that is other life is doomed to fade, falter and fail
Derek Gow, author of Bringing Back the Beaver: The Story of One Man's Quest to Rewild Britain's Waterways
A beautifully written account of his efforts (and others) in aiding the re-establishment of beavers in Scotland, showing the courage of conservationists in over-coming bureaucracy and vested interests
Keith Broomfield
A thought provoking and inspiring account of one man's efforts to further the interests of beavers in Scotland. This book makes a significant contribution to an important discussion about what natural Scotland should be
Undiscovered Scotland
I love, love this book
Bob Elliot Director at Wild Justice
[I] recommend this book to anyone interested in beavers and rewilding
Sandra King, CEO of Beaver Trust
'a story of hope triumphing over despair and bureaucracy
The National
The deeply personal book offers a passionate account ... In a time of climate crisis, biodiversity loss, and political paralysis, the beavers of Argaty offer proof that healing the land is still possible – if we make room for the right kind of wild
Dundee Courier
this book is a must for anyone interested in wildlife or rewilding of the countryside
Wildlife Detective
An unvarnished and persuasive journal of the impact beavers have had on Bowser’s land and on him
The Herald
an emotive and raw account of the author’s experience of being the first landowner in Scotland to legally relocate beavers
The Scotsman
a story of immense personal courage
Press & Journal
A highly readable account not only about the life-generating powers of beavers, but also the hard graft of campaigning often required by passionate individuals and fleet-footed small NGOs to make positive change happen
Chantal Lyons, author of Groundbreakers: The Return of Britain's Wild Boar
This is a great read, taking in nature as a whole
Birdwatching Magazine, Book of the Month
About the Book
'From the moment that these waters were given back their beavers, I knew that I would never wish to return to the time when they were without them . . .'
In November 2021, in a major moment in Scotland’s history, a family of beavers was spared a death sentence and relocated to a Perthshire farm. Their arrival at Argaty, Tom Bowser's home, paved the way for a new era in human–beaver relations.
In this deeply personal account, Tom tells of his attempts to save these incredible animals, of the support and opposition received and of the unimaginable gains that beavers ultimately brought to his home. He also explores the wider themes of rewilding and nature conservation in Scotland, meeting some of the leading lights of this exciting movement, highlighting the work they do, the challenges they face and showing why ecological restoration is so important for the future of our planet.
The Author
Tom Bowser
Tom Bowser grew up on his parents’ Perthshire farm. After university he worked as a teacher and then as a journalist before returning to Argaty in 2009. In 2017 he took over the running of the conservation project Argaty Red Kites, and in 2018 launched the Argaty Red Squirrels project.
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