Comparing translocated beavers used as passive restoration tools to resident beavers in degraded desert rivers

Wildlife translocation facilitates conservation efforts, including recovering imperiled species, reducing human-wildlife conflict, and restoring degraded ecosystems. Beaver (American, Castor canadensis; Eurasian, C. fiber) translocation may mitigate human-wildlife conflict and facilitate ecosystem restoration. However, few projects measure outcomes of translocations by monitoring beaver postrelease, and translocation to desert streams is relatively rare. We captured, tagged, and monitored 47 American beavers (hereafter, beavers) which we then translocated to two desert rivers in Utah, USA, to assist in passive river restoration. We compared translocated beaver site fidelity, survival, and dam-building behavior to 24 resident beavers. We observed high apparent survival (i.e., survived and stayed in the study site) for eight weeks postrelease of resident adult beavers (0.88 +/- 0.08; standard error) and lower but similar apparent survival rates between resident subadult (0.15 +/- 0.15), translocated adult (0.26 +/- 0.12), and translocated subadult beavers (0.09 +/- 0.08). Neither the pre- nor the post-translocation count of river reaches with beaver dams were predicted well by the Beaver Restoration Assessment Tool, which estimates maximum beaver dam capacity by river reach, suggesting beaver-related restoration is not maximized in these rivers. Translocated beavers exhibited similar characteristics as resident subadult beavers during dispersal; they were more vulnerable to predation and many emigrated from the study sites. High mortality and low site fidelity should be anticipated when translocating beavers, but even so, translocation may have contributed to additional beaver dams in the restoration sites, which is the common goal of beaver-assisted river restoration. Multiple releases at targeted restoration sites may eventually result in establishment and meet conservation objectives for desert rivers.

Automated summary

Wildlife translocation is important for conservation efforts, and specifically, beaver translocation can help reduce human-wildlife conflict and restore degraded ecosystems. However, there is a lack of monitoring and evaluation of beaver translocations, especially in desert streams. In this study, we translocated American beavers to two desert rivers in Utah, USA, and compared their site fidelity, survival, and dam-building behavior to resident beavers. The results showed that translocated beavers had lower survival rates and higher emigration rates, indicating the challenges of translocating beavers. Nevertheless, translocation may contribute to additional beaver dams in the restoration sites.