KNOWLEDGE BASE

This manual offers ecosystem restoration practitioners guidance on implementing low-tech tools like beaver dam analogues. These tools can kickstart restoration in riverscapes, saying that the lack of beaver dams is one of the 'most common impairments affecting riverside health.' The book emphasises mimicking natural processes with simple, cost-effective interventions and letting the ecosystem's natural engineers, like beavers, do the rest. The book suggests that this cheaper approach may work better and also enable restoration work to be done at the huge scale required.

Scientists in Poland examined the structure of beaver's nerves in a part of the digestive system called the pylorus. The pylorus connects the stomach to the beginning of the small intestine. It found that the arrangement of these nerve cells is similar to other mammals, despite the beaver's unique diet.

This study tested samples from beavers and water voles for a type of virus which is an emerging disease risk in Europe. All samples were negative, suggesting that these species (at least in these places) are unlikely to be carrying the virus. Please note, this resource is not open-access.

The Eurasian beaver population in Russia's Kursk region dropped significantly in the late 20th century but has been increasing since. This paper describes the results of surveys conducted from 2013 to 2018 to understand local beaver population trends. The paper includes a description of how beavers behave and where in the region they prefer to make their home. The aim of the paper is to inform future management decisions, as populations and damage to forests are said to be growing.

This study was the first to analyse the genetics of a Eurasian beaver placenta. Specifically, they decoded a group of genetic features called the transcriptome. Within, scientists identified over 200 million pieces of coding information and compared them with other rodent species to identify which bits of the transcriptome may serve which purpose. This may help scientists better understand beaver reproduction.