The province of Limburg will do more to reduce nuisance caused by the ever-expanding population of beavers. There are now about 1200 beavers in the province, who do many useful things, but also sometimes cause serious nuisance.
This involves undermining dykes and railway lines, or gnawing off trees and crops along the waterfront.
Financial compensation
In a policy plan presented on Wednesday, the province is extending a helping hand to people and organizations that want to do something about the nuisance. The policy plan is aimed at preventing and combating damage. A financial compensation for damage suffered will also be further elaborated.
shoot
Shooting this heavily protected species is only allowed as a last resort, if all milder means demonstrably do not work, according to a spokeswoman for the province. Nineteen beavers were killed in 2018 and 2019, 28 in 2020 and 81 in 2021. This mainly concerns beavers that undermined dikes and railways. Due to the growing beaver population, excavation is becoming more common, according to the policy plan.
Lighter resources
It is often difficult for the water board to prove that lighter means do not work, according to the spokeswoman. The province will therefore help the board to set up this ‘escalation ladder’ as effectively as possible. Usually dispelling or prevention helps. If lighter means do not work, repelling can be done by lowering a beaver dam or making a habitat unattractive for the beaver.
Crops
According to the policy plan, it is better not to grow crops that are susceptible to damage such as maize, beets and fruit trees within twenty meters of the watercourse where the beaver has its habitat. In addition, trees, shrubs and crops can be protected against beaver infestation with sturdy wire mesh or electric wire. The province helps with information and subsidies or compensation.
Good job
The spokeswoman emphasized that the beaver also does many good things. “By building dams, the animal helps enormously against drying out areas, and thus the survival of other animal species, and prevents agricultural lands from drying out,” she said. “It’s a shame it’s so often about the damage the beavers do: they do a lot of good work.”