International Journal of Molecular Ecology and Conservation, 2025, Vol.15, No.5, 217-228 http://ecoevopublisher.com/index.php/ijmec 22 3 5.2 Conflicts with agriculture and infrastructure Beaver activities can also conflict with human interests, posing management challenges. The most common conflict is the problem of farmland or infrastructure flooding caused by beavers building DAMS. In addition, beavers' gnawing of trees may damage ornamental or economic trees, which has caused dissatisfaction among people near woodlands and orchards. Moreover, beavers digging holes and building nests may weaken the structure of embankments and increase the risk of embankment breaches. Therefore, in areas where beavers are spreading again, local conflicts are frequently reported. Research shows that there are significant differences in the attitudes of different interest groups towards beavers: the general public and environmentalists mostly hold a positive attitude, believing that the ecological benefits of beavers outweigh the problems. However, some farmers and forestry practitioners tend to emphasize its negative impacts (Ulicsni et al., 2020; Hohm et al., 2024). But the human conflicts caused by beavers can be managed and mitigated. Many cases show that after conflict coordination and the application of technical measures, most landowners can accept coexistence with beavers (Coz and Young, 2020). 5.3 Beaver reintroduction project in natural solutions In recent years, driven by the concept of "Nature-Based Solutions", beavers have been reintroduced as a low-cost and efficient strategy for ecological restoration and climate adaptation (Fairfax and Westbrook, 2024). Many European countries (such as the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, etc.) have implemented or are planning to reintroduce beavers to historical distribution areas in order to restore degraded wetlands, enhance the water storage capacity of river basins, and improve biodiversity (Halley et al., 2021; Bylak et al., 2024). The ecological effects of reintroducing the project are generally encouraging: For example, in the river water test project in Devon, UK, five years after the reintroduction of beavers (Eurasian beavers), 13 new dam wetlands were created in the project area. This not only improved the local water quality and habitat diversity, but also proved to reduce the flood peak in downstream villages and towns (Campbell-Palmer et al., 2021). The experience of most reintroduction projects in Europe shows that the habitats of beavers have expanded rapidly after their return, and local public awareness of the ecological benefits of beavers has also gradually deepened (Oliveira et al., 2023). 6 Regional and Case Studies 6.1 Typical cases of beaver activities in north america The beavers of the American continent, Castor canadensis, have created countless wetlands in the vast water systems and are regarded as one of the key forces shaping the hydrological landscape of North America. However, the fur trade in the 19th century almost wiped it out. Since the 20th century, beaver populations across North America have naturally recovered or been reintroduced, and their ecological engineering effects have once again drawn attention. A typical case is the Rocky Mountain region in the western United States: due to climate warming and land use, many streams have degraded into seasonal rivers. The local area has successively carried out the project of introducing beavers to restore water sources. The results show that the dam construction by beavers effectively increases the water storage during the low-flow period in summer and alleviates seasonal drought (Thompson et al., 2021). In addition, the multiple cases of wildfires in California have highlighted the value of beaver wetlands - the "beaver fire Belt" has become a highlight of media coverage. In the 2020 California wildfires, a valley area inhabited by beavers remained an oas-like vegetation after the blaze, while the surrounding slopes were all scorched to ashes. This fire-resistant ability is attributed to the high moisture content and dense hygrophytes maintained by the beaver wetland, which prevented the spread of fire. Through remote sensing comparison, it was found that the degree of vegetation damage in the sections with beavers was much lower than that in the areas without beavers, indicating that the beaver project provided a valuable fire buffer (Auster et al., 2021). 6.2 The ecological and social effects of reintroducing beavers in europe Since the second half of the 20th century, Europe has gradually carried out the reintroduction and diffusion protection of the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber). Currently, beavers have returned to most of their native distribution areas except for a few countries in Southern Europe. As one of the earliest countries to restore beavers,
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