KNOWLEDGE BASE

Preliminary data from small rivers in a Russian nature reserve showed that Eurasian beaver activity had boosted biodiversity. The scientists meaured zooplankton, amphibians, and fish to determine this - beaver-made ponds increased the abundance of all three. However, the impacts on each group varied after the ponds aged, became abandoned, and eventually drained. Please note, this resource is not open-access.

This study compared the fatty acid composition of muscle tissues in pregnant beavers and their foetuses. Foetuses had higher levels of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids but lower polyunsaturated fatty acids. The text discusses what role these different chemicals may have during the baby beavers' development.

This text presented the results of a beaver monitoring process in the Penza region of Russia. Beaver numbers decreased from 42 to 30 due to limited food resources, but still had been busy - building 7-8 dams per km of river across the study area. The text discussed this population's activity and prospects in detail.

Rewilding aims to restore ecosystems and biodiversity while reconnecting people with nature. This paper proposes a new method for measuring the success of rewilding projects. They apply the method to three projects, including one in the Netherlands where beavers were reintroduced. According to this method, that specific project had been moving in the right direction!

This paper seeks to summarise some key cases of real rewilding projects to inform the rewilding research agenda. In the text, several rewilding project examples are given, several of which included the positive impact of beaver reintroductions on biodiversity. Future research needs are more focussed on scaling up rewilding projects, including financing options.