Population and distribution of Eurasian beaver (castor fiber)

Abstract

After being reduced to about 1,200 animals in eight isolated populations by the beginning of the 20th century, Eurasian beavers (Castor fiber) have powerfully recovered in range and population, through widespread reintroductions, relaxation of persecution, and natural spread. Populations are now (2010) established in all countries within their former natural range in Europe except for Portugal, Italy, and the south Balkans (Greece, Albania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro). In Asia, there are significant populations in West and Central Siberia; and small relict populations elsewhere in west and south Siberia, and in Xinjiang (China)/western Mongolia. The current minimum world population estimate for Eurasian beavers is 1.04 million, though this figure includes some populations of introduced North American beavers (C. canadensis) in the NW and Far Eastern Russian Federation, where the ranges of the two species occur in close proximity and to some extent overlap. Both populations and range are in rapid expansion, and in 2008 the species was reclassified by IUCN as Least Concern, though some subspecies remain threatened. We present maps summarizing current knowledge of the world distribution of Eurasian beaver and the Eurasian distribution of the introduced North American beaver, and tables of the most recent known population estimates for each country, broken down by region for the Russian Federation.