Beavers are ecosystem engineers that provide ecosystem services to humans and wildlife. They were once native to Britain, until humans hunted them to extinction around 400 years ago. In the last three decades, Eurasian beavers have returned to Britain. Some stakeholders are celebrating their return due to beavers’ ecological benefits. Others are concerned about how any negative beaver impacts will be managed and whether management techniques are effective.
In response to these concerns, Natural England commissioned this review to assess the empirical evidence around the management of beaver impacts. The report presents the scientific evidence on beaver management, analyses the strength of the evidence, and identifies areas requiring further research. The report also offers evidence-based conclusions about the effectiveness of management and mitigation actions for different impact scenarios.
The aim of this work is to improve our understanding of which management techniques are effective and to build confidence among concerned stakeholders that beavers can be managed satisfactorily. Natural England hopes this will lead to more successful beaver management, helping humans and beavers to live alongside each other once more.