Best Practice Knowledge Base
8.3 Beaver
Beaver marks near a river in Bayerischer Wald, Germany © Hernán Serrano-León
Reintroducing beavers (Castor fiber) into European landscapes is a transformative forest restoration strategy that enhances biodiversity and ecosystem functionality. As ecosystem engineers, beavers construct dams and create wetlands, which improve water retention, reduce downstream flooding, create heterogeneity, and support diverse plant and animal communities. Their activities contribute to natural water management and habitat diversification. However, there are challenges such as human-beaver conflicts related to flooding and agricultural impacts. Projects have to promote coexistence strategies and address with all stakeholders the social problems that can arise. Overall, beaver reintroduction plays a vital role in restoring natural processes and enhancing the resilience of European forest ecosystems.
I. Guidelines
| Nº | Title | Author | Year | Focus Region | Language | Summary | Link |
| 1 | Creating and managing riparian woodland | Forestry Commission | 2024 | UK | English | Guidelines for wildlife management, with focus on specific species, the beaver among them | https://cdn.forestresearch.gov.uk/2024/07/UKFSPG028_Riparian-woodland_web-compressed-2.pdf |
II. Books or book chapters
| Nº | Title | Author | Chapter | Chapter author | Year | Focus region | Language | Summary | Link |
| 1 | Beaver Protection, Management, and Utilization in Europe and North America | Busher & Dzięciołowski | Reintroduction of the Beaver, Castor fiber, in the Netherlands | Dijkstra | 1999 | Netherlands | English | Perspectives for the reintroduction of European beaver in the Netherlands | https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-1-4615-4781-5 |
| 2 | Beaver Protection, Management, and Utilization in Europe and North America | Busher & Dzięciołowski | The reintroduction of European beaver, Castor fiber, in Poland | Dzięciołowski & Gozdziewski | 1999 | Poland | English | Perspectives for the reintroduction of European beaver in Poland | https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-1-4615-4781-5https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-1-4615-4781-5 |
| 3 | Beaver Protection, Management, and Utilization in Europe and North America | Busher & Dzięciołowski | The Austrian Beaver, Castor Fiber, Reintroduction Program | Sieber | 1999 | Austria | English | Perspectives for the reintroduction of European beaver in Austria | https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-1-4615-4781-5 |
| 4 | The Eurasian Beaver Handbook | Campbell-Palmer et al. | - | - | 2016 | Eurasia | English | Handbook for management and conservation of the European beaver | https://pelagicpublishing.com/products/eurasian-beaver-handbook?srsltid=AfmBOoqmx37NmH1ciBaQZQrB_uv1G61GFdkTU8Snp3KF7t8Mj5lJ_gx3 |
| 5 | Beavers: Ecology, Behaviour, Conservation, and Management | Rosell & Campbell-Palmer | - | - | 2022 | World | English | Ecology and conservation of beavers | https://academic.oup.com/book/38841 |
III. Scientific articles
| Nº | Title | Author | Year | Focus region | Language | Type | Summary | Link |
| 1 | Beaver: Nature's ecosystem engineers | Brazier et al. | 2020 | Europe | English | Narrative review | Review on the impacts of beaver in intensively populated and managed contemporary European landscapes | https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1494 |
| 2 | Beaver dams in Mediterranean ecosystems: trait-specific effects on macroinvertebrates | Mazza et al. | 2024 | Italy | English | Descriptive study | Evaluates the effects of beaver reintroduction and presence on aquatic macroinvertebrates in a Mediterranean river | https://doi.org/10.1111/jzo.13221 |
| 3 | A national scale floodplain model revealing channel gradient as a key determinant of beaver dam occurrence and inundation potential can anticipate land-use based opportunities and conflicts for river restoration | Dennis et al. | 2024 | Switzerland | English | Modelling approach | Study on the drivers of beaver dam occurrence and beaver floodplain inundation potential | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2024.e03304 |
| 4 | Dam builders and their works: Beaver influences on the structure and function of river corridor hydrology, geomorphology, biogeochemistry and ecosystems | Larsen et al. | 2021 | World | English | Narrative review | Beaver impacts in ecological processes and the opportunities for river restoration | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2021.103623 |
| 5 | A reintroduced ecosystem engineer species may exacerbate ongoing biological invasion: Selective foraging of the Eurasian beaver in floodplains | Juhász et al. | 2020 | Hungary | English | Descriptive study | Studies the foraging of Eurasian beaver in Central-European floodplains in the presence of invasive woody species. | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01383 |
| 6 | Beneficial Impacts of Eurasian Beaver (Castor fiber) Reintroduction on Bat Communities and Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Prey: A Case Study from Lowland Britain | Graham & Goodenough | 2024 | United Kingdom | English | Observational study | Evaluates if beaver recolonisation boosts bat activity by increasing aquatic invertebrate prey. | https://doi.org/10.3161/15081109ACC2024.26.1.006 |
| 7 | Eager about beavers? Understanding opposition to species reintroduction, and its implications for conservation | Holmes et al. | 2024 | United Kingdom | English | Descriptive study | Study on social reactions to beaver reintroductions in Scotland and the factors influencing these responses | https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10674 |