“Oops…a Beaver Again!” Eurasian Beaver Castor fiber Recorded by Citizen-Science in New Areas of Central and Southern Italy

Capobianco, Giovanni; Viviano, Andrea; Mazza, Giuseppe; Cimorelli, Gianmarco; Casciano, Angelo; Lagrotteria, Alessandro; Fusillo, Romina; Marcelli, Manlio; Mori, Emiliano

doi:10.3390/ani13101699

Animals

2023

DOI: 10.3390/ani13101699

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“Oops…a Beaver Again!” Eurasian Beaver Castor fiber Recorded by Citizen-Science in New Areas of Central and Southern Italy

Giovanni Capobianco,

Andrea Viviano,

Giuseppe Mazza

et al.

Abstract: The Eurasian beaver Castor fiber was once present in the Palearctic, ranging from the western Iberian Peninsula to northwestern China. In the Middle Ages, this rodent underwent a severe decline in population due to habitat loss, hunting for fur and meat, and the demand for castoreum. At the beginning of 1900, the range of the Eurasian beaver was limited to scattered refugia in Eurasia. Since 1920, legal protection, reintroduction events, and natural spread triggered the recovery of the species in most of its o… Show more

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Cited by 7 publications

References 21 publications

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Eurasian beavers in Central Italy: perceptions in the local community

Viviano,

Auster,

Mazza

et al. 2023

Sci Nat

Self Cite

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According to the IUCN guidelines, wildlife reintroduction should consider any impacts on humans within feasibility assessments. Eurasian beavers Castor fiber are recovering across their native range, due to protection laws and reintroductions. In Central Italy, a self-sustaining, naturalised population of Eurasian beavers has been identified in the last five years. A questionnaire to measure whether and how citizens in the local area perceive the presence of the beaver was administered to 1114 respondents. We observed a comprehensive awareness of the presence of the beaver in Italy and a high ability to distinguish it from non-native coypus Myocastor coypus (92.3%). We also recorded a general high knowledge of issues related to the presence of the beaver (i.e., potential effects on indigenous biodiversity). The majority (65.5%) of the surveyed population was in favour of reintroducing the beaver in Central Italy, and only 1.2% was firmly against it. The majority of interviewed people was against the removal of beavers from Central Italy (65.8%), whereas only 3.7% was in favor, citing fears of perceived impacts on the river, crops, and fish populations.

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Eurasian beavers in Central Italy: perceptions in the local community

Viviano,

Auster,

Mazza

et al. 2023

Sci Nat

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Public perception and acceptance of coypu Myocastor coypus removal in urban areas: influences of age and education

Viviano,

De Meo,

Mori

et al. 2024

Sci Nat

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Monitoring and management of alien coypu (Myocastor coypus) is a key issue in Europe since this species has been included in the EU Invasive Alien Species Regulation 1143/2014. Thus, controlling the population of this rodent is considered as imperative by wildlife managers. Coypu management in urban areas is crucial considering potential conflicts with human activities. The aim of this study is to investigate citizens’ knowledge, perceptions and opinions towards the presence and management of coypu in a case study in Central Italy (the Serravalle urban park, Tuscany). The survey was administered to a subset of municipal residents and garnered responses from 281 park visitors. The outcomes showed a high level of knowledge of respondents: 99.3% of total respondents had heard of coypu before this survey, and 93.9% were able to distinguish the coypu from the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber). Despite the importance of coypu control in invaded countries, our results highlight that most respondents are against the removal of coypu, with the exception of most young, highly-educated and upperclass men, but favouring sterilization over capture and population control. Findings of this study could assist managers in enhancing the efficacy of management efforts via an information initiative involving the general public. Achieving this goal may entail improved communication by wildlife managers, which is imperative for optimizing management strategies regarding alien species.

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Riparian forests throwback at the Eurasian beaver era: a woody vegetation assessment for Mediterranean regions

Trentanovi,

Viviano,

Mazza

et al. 2023

Biodivers Conserv

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Several biotic and abiotic interactions will contribute to riparian ecosystem changes. The impact of Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) on woody vegetation is still unknown for the Mediterranean biogeographical area. Through a replicable approach applied on a cluster of three rivers, we studied how the tree layer of Mediterranean riparian sites is impacted by the beaver's recent comeback. For each site, we collected data (e.g., stem diameter, species, distance from riverbank) for all standing trees and additional information only for gnawed trees at plot level. Data elaboration allowed to characterise impacts on riparian vegetation. Salix spp. and Populus spp. are the main gnawed species, but sporadically other species can be selected based on their size and spatial distribution (e.g., Alnus glutinosa). Diameter means of gnawed trees are significantly lower than the not gnawed ones. Most of the selected trees have low diameter classes (< 12 cm), even if diameter preferences may vary on the basis of overall stand tree size range and distribution. Over 90% of the gnawed trees are entirely harvested, with stumps as the remaining standing element. Main changes on the overall forest stand occurred in the first ten metres from the riverbank, as beaver gnawing activity is significantly influenced by the interaction among tree distance from the river and diameter size. Our approach can be used as a model system to be implemented in other Mediterranean sites where beaver is expanding, with the aim of predicting mid-term riparian forests vegetation changes. Graphical abstract

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“Oops…a Beaver Again!” Eurasian Beaver Castor fiber Recorded by Citizen-Science in New Areas of Central and Southern Italy

Cited by 7 publications

References 21 publications

Eurasian beavers in Central Italy: perceptions in the local community

Eurasian beavers in Central Italy: perceptions in the local community

Public perception and acceptance of coypu Myocastor coypus removal in urban areas: influences of age and education

Riparian forests throwback at the Eurasian beaver era: a woody vegetation assessment for Mediterranean regions

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