The Netherlands has a plan to fight with beavers. “It's about finding balance”

Due to the rapid increase in the beaver population and the damage they cause in nature and infrastructure, the Netherlands has announced the national plan to fight with these animals – the media said. As part of the new strategy, the authorities of various levels agreed with joint rules for responding to beavers caused by beavers.

According to estimates There are currently over 7,000 in the Netherlands. beavers – much more than a decade ago. Those under protection animals are increasingly settled outside designated reserves, including Near the flood embankments, where their activities threaten public safety. “Bóbr can dig several tunnels up to 17 meters in one shaft, it is a serious threat to millions of people living in lowland polders,” Kees Schep, a beaver coordinator in one of the regional water management offices, told “de Volkskrant”.

In 2023, the damage caused by beavers in water systems cost the Dutch authorities over 840 thousand. euro – almost four times more than in 2019. There are also expenses for prevention, such as mounting special nets at the embankments, and the rising costs of employing staff dealing with their inspections.

Advertisement

The new strategy assumes, among others The obligation to take into account the protection against beavers in hydrotechnical works, as well as the introduction of a nationwide list of activities – from mild funds to the last resort in the form of animal shooting.

According to the law, beavers are a protected species, but the government decided that in exceptional cases they can be killed if other means failed. In the province of Limburgia, such activities are already carried out – 189 beavers were shot there last year.

The purpose of the strategy is also to unify the provisions currently in force in various provinces. “Earlier it was necessary to submit an application for permission separately in each province, and procedural differences were able to hinder interventions,” said Schep in an interview with the NRC daily. In his opinion, the plan will bring greater transparency and better cooperation between institutions, especially since beavers often migrate.

The presence of beavers in the country as densely populated and developed as the Netherlands is becoming a growing challenge, but these animals also bring benefits, e.g. increasing biodiversity and raising water retention. According to Schep, they should not be treated only as a threat. “Their dams can help you counteract drought. It's about finding a balance between the needs of man and wild nature,” he concluded.

From Hagi Patryk Kulpok (PAP)

PMK/ AKL/