The formation and current state of the beaver population in the Kuznetskiy Alatau Mountains, South Siberia

Abstract

The chronology of extinction and restoration of the Eurasian beaver population in the Kemerovo region is analyzed. The beavers exterminated at this territory at the end of the 18th century were reintroduced 60 years ago. The animals of Voronezh, Smolensk and Belarusian origin were used as the pedigree material. The stages of formation of the Castor fiber population through artificial and natural resettlement and the vectors of dispersion over the main rivers of the region are investigated. The first stage of formation of the Kuzbass population lasted more than 30 years, until 1995. There was the formation, enlargement and closure of isolated colonies into a meta-population. The animals actively settled and developed the most favorable habitats. The second period, which lasted almost 20 years, can be conveniently classified into three stages of rapid growth in numbers, which alternated with stages of relative stabilization. During this time, beavers settled in all large river basins, began to explore anthropogenic landscapes and began to appear near of human settlements. The assessment of the current spatial distribution of beavers in the conditions of the foothills of southern Siberia is made. On the model territory in the east of Kuzbass - the Kuznetskiy Alatau Nature Reserve and adjacent areas - the dynamics of the development of mountain streams by beavers in the absence and/or minimum hunting pressure is shown. Specialized protected area have played an important role in the formation of the modern Kuzbass beaver population. Now beavers have formed stable settlements even in the zone of subalpine meadows at altitudes up to 1350 m a. s. l. and migrate through mountain passes to the Krasnoyarsk Territory and the Republic of Khakassia. The current population of the Eurasian beavers in the Kuzbass exceeds 18,000 individuals, however, this important hunting resource is not exploited efficiently enough. If this trend persists, supported by the weak economic interest of trappers, the further development of the Kuzbass population of the Eurasian beaver will largely be determined by natural factors.