Beaver Protection, Management, and Utilization in Europe and North America

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-viii

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2. Beaver Management and Utilization in Scandinavia

   • Göran Hartman

   Pages 1-6

3. Management of the North American Beaver (Castor Canadensis) on the South-Savo Game Management District, Finland (1983–1997)

   • Sauli Härkönen

   Pages 7-14

4. Reintroduction of the Beaver, Castor Fiber, in the Netherlands

   • Vilmar A. A. Dijkstra

   Pages 15-16

5. The Beaver in Russia and Adjoining Countries

   • Alexander P. Saveljev, Vladimir G. Safonov

   Pages 17-24

6. Beaver Management in the Baltic States

   • Martins Balodis, Nikolai Laanetu, Alius Ulevicus

   Pages 25-29

7. The Reintroduction of European Beaver, Castor Fiber, in Poland

   • Ryszard Dzięciołowski, Jan Gozdziewski

   Pages 31-35

8. The Austrian Beaver, Castor Fiber, Reintroduction Program

   • Johanna Sieber

   Pages 37-41

9. Origin, Present Conditions, and Future Prospects of the Slovakian Beaver Population

   • Karol Pachinger, Tomas Hulik

   Pages 43-51

10. Beavers in an Urban Landscape

    • Karol Pachinger, Tomas Hulik

    Pages 53-60

11. A Biochemical-Genetic Discrimination Method for the two Beaver Species, Castor Fiber and Castor Canadensis, as a Tool for Conservation

    • Johanna Sieber, Franz Suchentrunk, Gunther B. Hartl

    Pages 61-65

12. Ecological Restoration by Harnessing the Work of Beavers

    • Yurii A. Gorshkov, Andrea L. Easter-Pilcher, Brian K. Pilcher, Dmitry Gorshkov

    Pages 67-76

13. Beavers in Britain

    • David W. Macdonald, Fran H. Tattersall

    Pages 77-102

14. Beaver: A New Prey of Wolves in Latvia?

    • Žanete Andersone

    Pages 103-108

15. Understanding North American Beaver Behavior as an Aid to Management

    • Bruce A. Schulte, Dietland Müller-Schwarzei

    Pages 109-128

16. Foraging Behavior of Beavers (Castor Canadensis), Plant Secondary Compounds, and Management Concerns

    • John M. Basey

    Pages 129-146

17. Long-Term Population Dynamics of The North American Beaver Castor Canadensis on Quabbin Reservation, Massachusetts, and Sagehen Creek, California

    • Peter E. Busher, Paul J. Lyons

    Pages 147-160

18. Behavioral and Ecological Characteristics of A “Climax” Population of Beaver (Castor Canadensis)

    • Dietland Müller-Schwarze, Bruce A. Schulte

    Pages 161-177

19. Back Matter

    Pages 179-182

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By the end of the 19th century both beaver species had been extirpated from large portions of their native ranges. The global decline in beaver populations was the direct re­ sult of exploitation by humans. Now, at the end of the 20th century, protection, manage­ ment, and reintroduction programs, coupled with a decline in the demand for beaver fur and other products, have allowed beaver populations to increase dramatically. Since bea­ vers actively modify their local environment their activities can conflict with human land use. Because of this, the beaver, once considered a unique and exotic component of wet­ lands, is now often considered a nuisance species. The history, as well as the current status, of beaver populations in Europe and North America provide insight into how con­ servation programs work, and into how humans and wildlife interact. The initial plenary lecture of the Euro-American Mammal Congress (July, 1998) was presented by Dr. Michael L. Rosenzweig, a professor at the University of Arizona. Dr. Rosenzweig discussed how humans have used and continue to use natural resources, in­ cluding wildlife and wildland. He provided evidence indicating that the current model of reservation conservation could not provide a long-term solution to the human-wild­ life/wildland conflict. Dr. Rosenzweig emphasized that what is required is a move away from purely exploitive activities (I would call this exploitive ecology) and the develop­ ment of a reconciliation ecology with wildlife.

• conservation
• ecology
• population dynamics
• Tree Biology

• Boston University, Boston, USA

  Peter E. Busher

• Agricultural University SGGW, Warsaw, Poland

  Ryszard M. Dzięciołowski

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