It is very difficult to defend the way beavers are being killed on Tayside. With no legal protection and no strict rules, we reveal today that farmers and gamekeepers now seem to be shooting them at will.

However frustrated they may get at the damage the animals allegedly cause, it’s not acceptable to just reach for their guns. But it’s not only the land managers that are to blame.

Scottish ministers have to take responsibility too for allowing the crisis to develop by failing to take decisions about beavers for years. However knotty the issues and however divided the stakeholders, the Scottish Government should have figured out what to do long before now.

There’s a worry that behind the scenes ministers might be paying more attention to the business needs of farmers than to nature conservation. Unfortunately, our elected leaders have form.

We also report today how a zone for protecting marine wildlife on the west coast of Scotland was redrawn at the behest of a multinational quarrying company. There, the government has been accused of putting corporate interests before the environment.

Of course these conflicts are complicated, and there are legitimate interests on both sides. But the Scottish Government would do well to remember that much of our nation’s wealth depends heavily on how well we look after our natural heritage and our environment.

Sometimes it’s sensible to look after our wildlife, preserve our landscape and side with nature. Business is not always right.