KNOWLEDGE BASE

As the Eurasian beaver spreads following successful reintroductions, different populations are mixing. In southern Germany, scientists used genetic analyses to track beavers' origins and how they had dispersed over the region. They found that the beavers in this area likely originated from three main sources, and that there had likely been some mixing between the different populations. Please note, this resource is not open-access.

With the relationship between beavers and wolves being pretty poorly understood, this text tried to bring together the research that had been done to identify what more research was needed. Wolves prey on beavers, with beavers being especially vulnerable in the ice-free season. However, beavers aren't wolves' primary prey. The complexities of this relationship had received little robust research and this was identified as a research need going forward.

Beavers vanished from areas north of Yellowstone National Park in the mid-1900s due to trapping, disease, and over-grazing of willow by elk. This paper brings together 24 years of data since their reintroduction in 1986. It finds that beavers have thrived despite sub-optimal availability of food, and that beavers have helped willow trees expand in the area. Beavers are shown to be helpful in ecological restoration efforts.

Beavers, through dam-building, restore ecosystems: they are an increasingly common climate adaptation strategy. This study constructed a model to predict where beavers may be likely to settle across 5,000 km of rivers and streams in the USA. The model was based entirely on remote data but was checked with on-the-ground surveys. Existing patterns of land use and land ownership (such as by large, private timber companies) may limit restoration efforts.

This study sought to understand what factors come into play when beavers in British Columbia, Canada, decide where to settle down and build their home. Here, habitat quality was the main driver for beaver presence. They preferred areas with richer vegetation, more open water, and lots of swamp. Predation risk and human activity did not seem to affect their decision.