Because the return of the beaver to Italy is a “mystery” that worries naturalists

So far south it hasn’t been seen for ages. On the Volturno river, on the border between Campania and Molise: gnawed trees and a fleeting night observation thanks to a camera trap. Few doubts, the beaver is (also) here. With at least one reproductive nucleus. Enough to feed the ‘mystery’ of its diffusion in Italy. Which does not seem to be the result of the natural expansion of the species, but – rather – of single releases in nature. Strictly illegal. Yeah, but whose? And why? And above all: with what potential effects on habitats?

The debate is once again topical after the notification of the “Amici del Volturno e dei sue tributari” and “Ardea” association, which has added a new nucleus to those already reported around Italy. Today, therefore, beavers also live here, as well as on the Aternus riverin Abruzzoand onshadowbetween the provinces of Siena And Grossetoand again in the Tuscan section of the Tiberbetween Arezzo and Perugia, reported among the municipalities of City of Castle, Mutton And proman. Small groups, for a total of about 50 individuals, which appeared at too considerable a distance from Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Alto Adige, where since 2018 – especially in the forest of Tarvisio and in Val Pusteria – on the other hand some specimens live, arrived – they yes, without a doubt – naturally from Austria. Scoring it historic return of a protected speciesthe largest rodent in Europe, in a country where it had disappeared for about 500 years, thanks to man’s massive hunting for fur, meat and the oil produced by its perianal glands.

“The animals reported in Tuscany and in Umbria they are almost 400 km away, following as linear a path as possible on land, from the animals observed in eastern Italy – he explains Andrew Monaco, which for ISPRA mainly deals with “problem” animals and their relationship with man – It is practically impossible that they arrived there in dispersion, without leaving intermediate traces. Besides, beavers are animals that leave a sign of their passage and the complete absence of evidence allows us to exclude the existence of beaver populations in the intermediate zones between the range of presence due to the natural expansion of the species (France, Switzerland and Austria, for Italy Tarvisio and Val Pusteria) and that in central and, now, southern Italy. Nor does it seem conceivable that they are animals that have escaped from private farms or zoos”.

“In all likelihood these are unofficial releases, because we are very far from the areas where the species is present”, confirms the naturalist Emiliano Moriof the Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems (IRET) of the CNR.

Rewilding as philosophy or fanaticism?

Yes, but where do the beavers that appear, patchily, on the rivers of the Apennines come from? “It is possible that the specimens came from some foreign facility that held them in captivity and that they were transported and introduced inspired by the concept of rewildinga controversial approach to restoring biodiversity, which for some years has been spreading especially in Europe and which aims to rebuild natural environments as they were before human transformations”, explains Monaco. Actions of this kind have been recorded, for example , in Spain and in Belgium.

“But it’s about a completely illegal and unplanned introduction actiondone ignoring not only the laws but the good practices of nature conservation”, he adds. The condemnation came from the Italian Teriological Association (ATIt), which brings together zoologists expert on mammals and the need for their removal, with reference to the Tiber, the Undersecretary for the Environment recently spoke Claudius Barbarowho answered a question in the House of Parliament Marco Simiani of the Pd.

The position of is very clear on the subject Nicholas Bressi, naturalist and zoologist of the European Pond Conservation Network. “We don’t have proof but there is no doubt that the beavers we observe in central-southern Italy are neither native to these areas, and therefore remained here for centuries without being noticed, nor the result of an expansion from the North-East , but rather that they are the result of careless, illegal releases by one or more movements linked to Rewild Europe, an organization created with the aim of rewilding the world, bringing it back to its original conditions.And releasing animals into the wild is wrong, regardless from damage to ecosystems. The very fact that beavers cannot be purchased on Amazon, and that the observed individuals inhabit perfectly compatible environments, demonstrates that these are release actions characterized by a strong underlying ideology”.

Those who issue them therefore have a strong spirit of initiative, but also a lot of competence. “And to those who point out that beavers have populated these areas in the past, I reply by emphasizing how anthropization and the crops linked to it have profoundly changed the morphology: therefore a possible reintroduction here should be planned and studied, certainly not risky. – he adds Bressi – a dangerous precedent is being created in a country that has already witnessed the proliferation in nature of raccoons, genets, gray squirrels and parakeets, starting from the incautious release of individuals”.

W the beaver, as long as he gets there on his own

“We need to be inspired by models that work: in Germany, for example, we start from a study of the habitat in which the beaver is observed. Where its presence does not interfere with human activities, and vice versa, it is left to live. Otherwise, it is the case to withdraw it, transferring it elsewhere”. But the point, often, is that the decision makers are absent. Or, more often than not, distracted. “The lack of intervention by the Regions, repeatedly urged to act by the Ministry of the Environment and by ISPRA, and the condescending, even benevolent attitude of part of the press and the environmentalist world, and even of some researchers, has created a dangerous climate of widespread legitimacy which we hope does not stimulate someone to emulate and induce them to spread some other species throughout the rest of Italy without a minimum of planning and in a completely illegal way”, confirms Monaco. And in fact the return of the beaver is often interpreted as good news for Italian biodiversity.

“Let’s immediately clarify that the release of beavers in central Italy represents a dangerous precedent, because it could provide incentives unauthorized releases analogous to those that often occur with the huntable species and with the fishing. – explains Emiliano Mori – This event deserves to be condemned. In fact, however, the surveys carried out intensively in the last two years have not shown any negative impact linked to the presence of the beaver, on the contrary they have experienced many beneficial effects from this species”.

World Rivers Day

The otter returns to Lazio: it was considered extinct

by Pasquale Raicaldo

September 24, 2022

So should they be left free to proliferate? “In fact, there is no official position of the CNR, and I defer to the decisions of those involved in management. Of course, given the lack of funds for fauna management, I would focus on invasive species that have the most serious impact on biodiversity. For example, the gray squirrel in Piedmont and Veneto, the raccoon in Tuscany, the nutria all over Italy. Let’s not forget, among other things, that the beaver in Italy is a native species”. More: the mammal can certainly cause positive effects, including the stabilization of water flows and the creation of new wetlands, ” which increase the diversity of habitats and can increase animal and plant biodiversity”, as Monaco also admits.

“But as a good ecosystem engineer, the beaver is also capable of destroying the previous balance of biodiversity, thanks to its ability to generate profound transformations on the landscape with the construction of dams and its food activity, mainly conducted on woody plants, in particular willows and poplars, which it cuts down by gnawing at the base. Here, we would like to observe expansive dynamics of the beaver on a national scale and even more to support possible reintroduction interventions, provided with the right methodological approach. But the priority is today, instead of waiting here, to proceed for one removal of beaver cores And analyze them genetically to evaluate with which European populations they are more similar. Then, at a later stage, the most suitable management options can be evaluated”.

“What is certain – notes Bressi – is that these nuclei must be followed and studied carefully, without making hasty decisions. They have slow reproduction rates and are neither slippery like American squirrels nor do they fly like alien parrots: if they cause damage, they will remove or they will be reduced without great difficulty. Besides, haven’t we already extinguished them very easily?”