Proceedings of the Vertebrate Pest Conference

Beavers serve critical ecological functions and play the role of keystone species in wetland ecosystems. Yet, their ecological engineering can sometimes cause flooding or other damage to human infrastructure and agriculture necessitating management action. In an effort to preserve the ecological benefits of beavers while mitigating damages, many stakeholders increasingly seek non-lethal solutions that are part of the USDA Wildlife Services (WS) Integrated Wildlife Damage Management approach. Research at the Wildlife Services National Wildlife Research Center aims to expand this portfolio by investigating drivers of beaver damage and developing, evaluating, and refining effective tools for non-lethal beaver management. In this paper we provide an overview of non-lethal beaver management tools showing promise in field operations, including: 1) physically excluding beaver from key areas; 2) managing water flow around beaver impoundments; 3) translocating beaver colonies from damaging to desired areas; 4) novel developments such as eDNA, drone surveys, and fertility control. We hope to generate discussions in the wildlife damage management community to better understand needs and knowledge gaps requiring additional research effort.