Revitalizing Riverscapes with Beavers: Partnership, Compromise or Power Struggle?

Revitalizing Riverscapes with Beavers: Partnership, Compromise or Power Struggle?
Moderated by Dr. Emily Fairfax (University of Minnesota) & Dr. Chris Jordan (NOAA/NMFS/Northwest Fisheries Science Center) with Dr. Jordan Kennedy (Outer Coast - Sitka, Alaska), Elyssa Kerr (Beavers Northwest), Alden Shallcross (Aquatic Restoration, Bureau of Land Management) & Amy McNamara (Natural Resources Defense Council)
Riverscape revitalization often requires a willingness to make compromises to balance societal and ecological needs. As beavers have returned to historic habitat, we are getting a clearer picture of the ecological and societal benefits that come with healthy beaver complexes. We are also gaining a deeper appreciation for what a healthy riverscape is and how we restore and sustain them. Beaver-assisted riverscape restoration is an increasingly attractive management approach to reduce the impacts of climate change and stem biodiversity loss; however, it can come with trade-offs and compromises. We will discuss beaver-assisted restoration along the land-management spectrum (wilderness to urban); share examples of how land managers, tribes, and communities are weighing the benefits as well as the challenges that come with beaver; and discuss the paradigm shift that is needed to maximize the role beavers can play in restoring healthy riverscapes.