Issues
Once a beaver becomes established, problems can continue to pile up. The underground tunnels they dig and dams they build cause flooded plots and subsidence. Combating beaver nuisance will cost around 700,000 euros in manpower in 2022 and that amount is continuing to rise.
Protected
The number of beavers also continues to increase. Provincial beaver policy states that there were between 1,100 and 1,200 beavers at the beginning of 2021. According to an estimate by the water board, that number now stands at 2,000, while the maternity period has yet to begin. Because the beaver is a protected species, the animal may not be disturbed or killed without permission. In the event of persistent nuisance and if it appears that previous measures have had no effect, it may be shot down with the permission of the province.
Annoyance
Farmers and gardeners who experience damage from the beaver are called upon by the LLTB to report this. The association sees that the beaver’s diet – one kilo of plant food per day – has been causing damage to arable, vegetable and fruit crops for years. “We receive dozens of reports of damage or flooded plots at this time of year. Because entrepreneurs now have to go into the field for work, they are being significantly hindered,” said LLTB director Theo Coumans in the member newspaper Nieuwe Harvest.
Useful
The LLTB and Limburg Water Board are discussing additional measures with the province. Coumans wants the procedures for intervention to be shortened. According to the director, this does not automatically mean that beavers have to be killed. “We would like to see the animals move to places where they are useful to nature.”
