KNOWLEDGE BASE

This report set out the reasons for, and feasibility of, reintroducing beavers to Wales. It describes beavers' ecology as well as its current legislative and reintroduction status across Europe. The authors also set out potential sources of conflict and mechanisms for managing those. A trial re-introduction is proposed, including ideas for funding and an exit strategy.

Rapid industrialisation in Alberta, Canada, around the turn of the millenium has changed the types of habitat available, leading to an increase in deer populations and the wolf populations that prey on them. This has raised wolf encounters with caribou, which previously were able to stay away from wolves more effectively, contributing to declines in caribou. Beavers also became a more important food source for wolves during this time. This fascinating text describes in detail how industrialisation impacted predator-prey dynamics in this region and set out some implications for caribou conservation.

This report was written as part of the Scottish Beaver Trial in Knapdale. It generated baseline data by surveying three ponds in which beavers had not yet settled, recording which species of aquatic plants were present. Elsewhere in the trial site, beaver dam construction had influenced on the types of plants growing by raising water levels.

This study aimed to understand how beaver dams affect water movement in a peatland in Canada. They found data that conflicted with previous thinking. Beaver dams may create longer paths of water flow through the peatland system, connecting more of it to the stream, with impacts on nutrient retention and downstream water quality.

This book is an accessibly-written summary of the natural history of beavers. It looks at the organisms as individuals, their behaviour - including as family units, their ecology and population dynamics, and a history of beavers' interactions with humans. Please note, this resource is not open-access.