Image: Leopold Chancellor
The wolf, the otter and the beaver share the same fate. It used to be feared that they would become extinct. Today there is concern that they will multiply more and more and could become a nuisance. The call for new rules is getting louder. The core of the discussion is the European Union’s Flora-Fauna-Habitat (FFH) Directive, according to which endangered species are strictly protected.
This is currently a thorn in the side of Deputy State Governor Manfred Haimbuchner (FP). As the state’s conservation officer, he has the beaver under his wing. It is gratifying that the local population was able to recover well thanks to the protective regulations. But now it is time to intervene.
35 beavers 35 years ago
“At least regional withdrawals” should be made possible, said Haimbuchner at a press conference in Linz on Friday. A current survey by the Nature Conservation Department shows how the protection regulations have affected the beaver population in Upper Austria. There are around 2,200 beavers in the state; with the exception of the Alpine regions, they inhabit water bodies throughout the country.
Just six years ago the population was estimated at 800 to 1,000 animals; ten years ago it was said to have been 600 to 650. The sharp increase is a success, especially since Europe’s largest rodent was considered almost extinct just a few decades ago. Only 35 specimens are said to have been native in 1989. That has now changed. Measures against extinction have led to a “rapid spread,” says Haimbuchner. The result is territorial wars among the animals and conflicts with landowners.
“Inflexible EU regulations”
The goal of enabling beavers to sustain themselves has been achieved. In many regions in Upper Austria, such as the Danube region, there is already an overpopulation. “The guidelines need to be adjusted,” says the nature conservation officer. However, this is not possible because of the EU’s “regionally inflexible” requirements.
Currently, the shooting of beavers is strictly prohibited – unless the animals endanger public safety. Upper Austria’s Nature Conservation Association doesn’t believe in relaxing the protection status in order to be able to regulate the population through shooting. “That wouldn’t help; when populations are high, the animals keep moving in,” says species conservationist Julia Kropfberger.
In addition, self-preservation does not yet exist in Alpine regions. One should start with conflict management. “From a nature perspective, the beaver is not a pest. He is a habitat designer who is restoring our waters.”
Criticism of new EU law
LH Deputy sees many open questions. Manfred Haimbuchner and the Salzburg LH deputy. Marlene Svazek (both FP) in the EU renaturation law. As reported, the EU Parliament and member states agreed on the controversial regulation two weeks ago. As a first step, it stipulates that at least 20 percent of land and sea areas will be restored to their original condition by 2030. Forests should be reforested, moors watered and rivers restored.
After a heated dispute, the EU dropped the requirement for agriculture to make ten percent of its land available for environmentally friendly measures. The guidelines are “practically impossible to implement,” said the nature conservation officers yesterday. The regulation will have “serious impacts” on their work. The consequences are unclear if the goals in the countries are not achieved.
Haimbuchner and Svazek criticized the EU-wide uniform regulations. “Every region and every member state has different requirements and circumstances,” said Haimbuchner. He insists that nature conservation should continue to be left to the states.
My themes
For your saved topics were
new articles found.
info By clicking on the icon you can add the keyword to your topics.
info
By clicking on the icon you open your “my topics” page. They have of 15 keywords saved and would have to remove keywords.
info By clicking on the icon you can remove the keyword from your topics.
Add the topic to your topics.
Source: Nachrichten
