FAQ: What is the European experience of beaver reintroductions?
Reintroductions and translocations of Eurasian beaver have now taken place in 24 European countries. They began in the 1920s in Sweden, Norway, Latvia, Russia and the Ukraine and continued throughout the 1980s and 1990s in the Netherlands, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and more recently in Spain.
Reintroductions usually involve the release of animals over a number of years to several sites. Most have been successful in terms of breeding, population growth and range expansion.
Over 150 reintroductions have now been undertaken across Europe, most without the detailed monitoring carried out by the Scottish Beaver Trial, but some have been thoroughly studied enabling scientists to predict with confidence the likely pattern of events post reintroduction. More information about European research on beaver reintroductions from our publications page.
Click here for an interesting look at beaver reintroductions from a French perspective.
More FAQ's - About the Scottish Beaver Trial
- Why reintroduce the beaver to Scotland?
- How do we know that beavers were once in Scotland?
- What was the purpose and aims of the beaver trial?
- How long was the Scottish Beaver Trial?
- Where did the beavers come from?
- How many beavers were released and what has happened to them?
- How were the animals transported to the site?
- During the quarantine period, what were the beavers tested for and what were the results?
- How was the Trial managed?
- What was the role of Scottish Natural Heritage?
- How much did the project cost and where did the money come from?
- What were the benefits to the local population?
- What is the European experience of beaver reintroductions?
- What happens at the end of the trial?
- What are the success criteria for the trial?
- How can you help?
- What else is happening with beavers in the UK?
