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Landscape-creative beaver activity in Northern Europe: a review of the 50-years species-restoration

Ziel

A consortium of 7 teams from Sweden, Norway, Finland, and four areas of Russia intend to review a great successful experiment of European beaver restoration in Northern Europe. The work, which will be conducted for the first time and is to involve comparison of data from areas with very different conditions, will include an analysis of dynamics of numbers during 50 years, will creating models of fluctuations in number and of limiting factors, and will use these models to predict future events. In Karelia and Finland beaver coexistence and competition between Eurasian and North American beavers will be studied. During 50 years after the start of reintroduction, the beaver not only reoccupied areas where it was absent 100-150 years but it also significantly changed the landscape, especially small rivers. An important objective is to study the beaver's influence on all levels of ecosystems on increase of heterogeneity of vegetation, diversity of species and numbers of invertebrates, fishes, birds, rodents, and large land predators inhabiting waters and banks. We intend to review methods of ecological restoration by using the work of beaver. We also intend to produce a cost - benefit analysis of beaver/human conflicts (flooding forests and hay meadows, destroying drainage systems). The results of the studies will be disseminated among scientists of different specialties, managers, and conservationists.

A complex of scientific approaches will be used: theriological, botanic, landscape geography, ichthyology and hydrology. Mapping of settlements using aero photos made in 1957-2000 will be made with GIS methods and statistics. After elaboration of a standard list of variables, descriptions of fresh waters populated and unpopulated by beaver will be done. Aero-photo series will be used to follow changes of flooded areas and riverbeds, stream velocity and inclination, and increase in area of wetlands after damming. Hydrological studies in periods of flood and of lowest water level will be conducted. The areas of soil under beaver influence, soil permeability, wetness and succession will be measured. Vegetation within and outside beaver settlements and plant succession under beaver grazing activity will be studied. For ecologically similar habitats with and without beavers, lists of species and plants and density of key species will be estimated. A principal direction of these ecological studies will be to find out ecological links (food chains, changes of environmental conditions) between beaver on one hand, and other animal and plant species on the other. A comparison of different landscapes will reveal universal features of beaver ecology and its influence on environment. Proper statistical treatment of obtained data will be done, and models will be built.

A characterizing of the stabilizing role of beaver in river ecosystems and influence on landscape will be done (especially on river-beds of small streams, floodplains and exchange of forest by meadows) as well as prediction of plant succession in boreal and deciduous forest. The expected results will be estimation of population size and variations in habitat occupation with emphasis on key factors - food availability and depth of water as anti-predator refuge. The best models for predicting population density and periods of successive occupation will be elaborated. An important task will be determination of the limiting role of predators in beaver occupation of fresh waters, and necessary conditions of beaver survival. In areas where North American and Eurasian beavers co-exist, data on dynamics of numbers and distribution, and future of competition of these species will be presented. The key objectives will be estimation of increase in biodiversity under beaver influence, identifying conditions when conflicts between beavers and human activities arise, and estimate material and economic effects of beaver impact. The project will present suggestions for international policy for beaver population management. Because three of the teams work for the benefit of Nature Reserves the projects' results regarding the keystone landscape creative species - the beaver - are urgently needed. The consortium will prepare a book and publications in scientific, hunting and forestry journals.

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Koordinator

Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
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Adresse

90183 Umea
Schweden

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Beteiligte (6)

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Letzte Aktualisierung: 30 Oktober 2002

Mein Booklet

Permalink: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/INTAS-2001-00168/de

European Union, 2024