Paper short abstract:

Beavers, once hunted to extinction in Latvia, made a 20th century comeback through reintroduction efforts. This paper explores the evolving contexts of human-beaver relations, focusing on management practices, and unpredicted beavers’ reterritorialization in the changing landscape of amelioration.

Paper long abstract:

European beavers (Castor fiber L.), once thriving in the landscape since the early Holocene, they faced extinction in the mid-19th century due to relentless hunting. This not only disrupted the ecology of wetlands, where beavers served as keystone species, but also strained human-beaver relations. Beavers made a comeback in Latvia during the early 20th century, thanks to reintroduction efforts during the nation-state era of the 1920s and later in the Soviet period.

In this paper, we trace the histories of human-beaver relations throughout the 20th century, delving into the motivations behind their reintroduction, and conservation and management strategies. Contrary to current perceptions, historical accounts of beaver reintroduction and management reveal genuine concern for this valuable fur-bearing species, coupled with admiration for their engineering prowess and adaptability. Management practices encompassed careful habitat selection, food source provisioning, vigilant monitoring, protective measures, and relocation of individuals in case of overpopulation. Yet these practices gradually changed due to drainage system expansion-induced reterritorialization of beavers leading to their overpopulation, restart of hunting in the 1980s and human-beaver conflicts.

Basing on case studies, text analysis and interviews, our aim is to unfold the evolving context of human-beaver relations, focusing on beaver expansion and eventual negating of beavers’ role as keystone species in wetland ecologies. We also aim at analysing the incongruities within the managerial ethos itself, unfolding the intricate relationship between humans and beavers in Latvia throughout the 20th century.