KNOWLEDGE BASE

This paper reports on a reintroduction project in a mountainous area of the USA. The aim of the project was to improve water storage needs in a region facing longer dry seasons and stronger winter storms due to the climate crisis. The reintroduction was successful but, due to unprecedented fires and storms, proving their impact on water retention and stream temperature was challenging. Nevertheless, beavers made the ecosystem more resilient to these new climate challenges. Please note, this resource is not open-access.

It is possible that the North American beavers present in Europe could outcompete the Eurasian beaver. This study shows that, in a laboratory environment, dogs can detect differences between the scents of the two species. Further tests are needed in the field - for example, under different weather conditions - but dogs show promise as a non-invasive conservation tool. The authors urged wildlife agencies to invest in this research.

In this paper, scientists built a computer model to understand how invasive North American beavers affect populations of Eurasian beavers. The model was fed with almost 80 years of data from Russian nature reserves. They predicted that the North American beaver - due to its higher reproduction rate and other factors - would eventually displace the Eurasian beaver in every location. This study highlights the need for international programmes to monitor and potentially eradicate the North American beaver in Eurasia. Please note, this resource is not open-access.

This study followed an internationally-approved procedure for assessing disease risk to determine the health risks posed by beaver reintroductions in Britain. It considered the potential diseases that beavers from different places carry and the mitigation measures already in place. Overall, it found that the risk of introducing disease by releasing beavers into the wild in Britain was low.

This paper highlighted for the first time the use of beaver dam-and-pond complexes by freshwater mussels. The mussels are thought to spread by hitching a ride on different types of fish. The beaver ponds provide a refuge from strong stream currents, which mussels need to survive.