The Beaver Boom: A Quagmire for Farmers in Lower Saxony
Beavers' resurgence poses difficulties for farmers - Beavers' come back causes troubles for agriculture communities
Hey there! Let's dive into the controversy brewing in Lower Saxony—an unexpected foe is causing quite a ruckus among farmers in certain regions. This pesky critter? Beavers! Beavers have taken over, flooding farmlands and causing havoc, turning once fertile grounds into marshy messes.
Take farmer Hans-Heinrich Schnehage from Pattensen, south of Hannover, for instance. He's had to abandon farming certain fields due to the pesky beavers' flooding. That's why the Lower Saxony farmers' association is pushing for a statewide beaver management plan, complete with compensation for affected farmers.
Sonja Markgraf from the Landvolk Niedersachsen said to dpa, "Beaver protection shouldn't come at the expense of agriculture. We want to see faster action on the beaver management topic."
A beaver concept for Lower Saxony is slated for the second half of 2025, according to Lower Saxony's Minister for the Environment, Christian Meyer, a Green politician. The plan will involve beaver experts active statewide. "The beaver's return to Lower Saxony is a success of species protection," Meyer told dpa. "The beaver contributes to ecological water development, supports water retention in the area, and creates habitats for many threatened fish species."
However, Meyer also acknowledged that the planned beaver concept will address problems and conflicts. Let's face it, beavers can be a double-edged sword!
Once upon a time, almost 200 years ago, beavers were on the brink of extinction in Lower Saxony. But in 2005, the first beaver appeared in the Hannover region, and around 2012, the first farms started facing the consequences with fields and meadows being flooded. In 2019, there were 229 beaver territories and about 430 to 500 individual animals recorded. The Ministry of the Environment in Hannover now estimates the population at 500 to 1,000 animals.
Most beavers in Lower Saxony can be found in the Biosphere Reserve Elbtalaue. They've also made their homes along the Elbe, the Leine, in the area of Aller-Oker-Droemling, and in the Emsland.
Farmer Schnehage admits he has no issue with beavers; they don't cause harm to his sheep or anything like that. "But," he adds, "we need statewide solutions to address the concerns of affected citizens, businesses, municipalities, or water associations." To this end, a "Round Table Beaver" has been established by the state.
While beavers play a positive role in the natural landscape, they're causing issues near the river Hunte in Oldenburg. The rodents' dams are endangering the safety of the dikes. To mitigate this, the Lower Saxony Landesbetrieb fur Wasserwirtschaft, Kuensten- und Naturschutz (LNWKN) has taken action.
In Oldenburg this year, as in 2024, the storage water level in parts of the Hunte will be lowered to get an overview of the beaver and nutria dams. Softwood has also been removed to make the area less attractive for beavers by reducing the food supply.
Unlike beavers, nutria and muskrats are not protected and may be hunted. Nearly 45,000 nutrias were shot in the hunting year 2023/2024, a 30% increase from the previous year!
- Lower Saxony
- Hanover
- Advance
- Pattensen
- Christian Meyer
- BMU
Did you know?
When it comes to managing conflicts between beavers and human happenings, such as flooding of roads or private property, residents are advised to contact their local Nature Conservation Authority. Local authorities may employ various strategies, like protecting trees, modifying dams, or reinforcing riverbanks, to mitigate the issues. However, it seems that a comprehensive statewide plan for managing these conflicts specifically in Lower Saxony is still in the works.
- The unexpected surge of beavers in Lower Saxony has sparked a debate among farmers, particularly in Pattensen, south of Hannover, who are grappling with flooded farmlands.
- As a result of the beaver-induced flooding, farmer Hans-Heinrich Schnehage from Pattensen has had to abandon farming certain fields.
- In response, the Lower Saxony farmers' association is advocating for a statewide beaver management plan, including compensation for affected farmers.
- In an interview with dpa, Sonja Markgraf from the Landvolk Niedersachsen suggested faster action on the beaver management topic, stating, "Beaver protection shouldn't come at the expense of agriculture."
- Christian Meyer, Lower Saxony's Minister for the Environment, has announced a beaver concept slated for the second half of 2025, which will involve statewide beaver experts.
- With climate-change and environmental-science policies and politics in play, Meyer acknowledges that the planned beaver concept will address problems and conflicts posed by beavers in Lower Saxony.
