Beaver Management and Utilization in Scandinavia

Abstract

The European beaver (Castor fiber) was once abundant throughout Scandinavia. Due to over-hunting beavers were exterminated in Sweden and Finland during the second half of the 19th century. Because of a prudent ban on beaver hunting in 1845, a small remnant population of a few hundred individuals survived in southern Norway. This population became the source for subsequent reintroductions to the other Scandinavian countries. Between 1922 and 1940 about 80 Norwegian beavers were reintroduced to Sweden, and in 1935–36, 17 animals were released in Finland. In 1937, seven North American beavers (Castor canadensis) were also introduced to Finland. The reintroductions were successful and current population sizes are estimated to be 100,000 in Sweden, 50,000 in Norway, and 10,000 in Finland. However, about 90% of the Finnish population are North American beavers. The populations are still increasing, although the increase is slow in Finland. Hunting regulations differ substantially between the three countries. Sweden has the least elaborate system (for example, no bag limit), and Norway the most sophisticated. It is obvious that there are other factors affecting hunting intensity since the annual beaver harvest is only 6% of the population in Sweden, 10% in Norway, but as much as 20% in Finland. Many landowners consider beavers a nuisance, and therefore a future task is to increase public awareness of the value of beavers. Beavers represent not only a game species, but are also important ecological engineers. Beaver activity increases biological diversity and influences the hydrologic regime in a landscape dominated by commercial forestry.