About Us

Across much of their former range, beaver populations have experienced a remarkable recovery due to targeted conservation efforts and/or natural recolonization. However, the size and density of beaver populations still varies from country to country and from region to region. Despite translocation efforts that meet conservation needs, the reintroduction of beavers may result in perceived negative outcomes, relative to both human-wildlife interactions and within ecological communities. For example, introduced North American beavers in Eurasia may compete with the native Eurasian beaver, the translocation of Eurasian beavers can result in genetic mixing among different long-isolated subspecies, and illegal and uncontrolled reintroductions can cause tensions between resource managers and landowners. The recovery of beaver populations across Eurasia and North America is exciting and enhances wetland ecosystem services. However, there is still much to learn about beaver habitat preferences, foraging and engineering behaviours, especially in managed and urban systems. Ongoing research and adaptive management are essential to enable beaver–human coexistence. Country-specific beaver management and riparian forest management plans that incorporate both the benefits and challenges of this coexistence can help mitigate beaver-caused flooding and vegetation damage as well as inform hunting and other legislative considerations. The 9th IBS brings together beaver experts from around the world to share their expertise, experiences and perspectives on all aspects of beaver biology and management to better facilitate beaver-human coexistence.