WWF urges Vorarlberg to withdraw planned beaver cull rules

The WWF has urged the Vorarlberg state government to withdraw its draft beaver management regulation after the six-week consultation period ended on Monday, ORF reported. The proposal includes measures to prevent damage, interventions in beaver habitats and, as a last resort, the capture and killing of animals.

The draft allows a regular quota of up to 23 beavers to be killed per hunting year. In particularly urgent danger situations, that quota could be increased by a further nine animals, allowing up to 32 killings a year.

Sarah Stöger, a WWF expert, criticised the predetermined quotas. Beavers are strictly protected in the European Union, she said, meaning exceptions must be strictly justified and assessed on a case-by-case basis. “Blanket killing quotas undermine this principle,” Stöger said.

She added that all alternatives should be exhausted before a beaver is killed and that each case should be independently assessed.

WWF raises concerns over legal protection

The WWF also sees gaps in legal protection. The European Commission has raised concerns in ongoing infringement proceedings against Austria about regulations that allow exceptions to protections for strictly protected species, the organisation said.

Vorarlberg should take that warning seriously and withdraw the draft, Stöger said. Under EU law, irreversible interventions require effective judicial review, according to the WWF.

Prevention measures should come first

Instead of killing beavers, the WWF is calling for prevention measures to take priority and for expert advice on beaver management. The proposed regulation already includes measures such as protecting trees and shrubs, securing riverbanks and embankments, and regulating or removing certain dams.

Interventions in beaver habitats and, ultimately, the removal of animals would be allowed only if those measures were insufficient.

The WWF also highlighted beavers’ ecological importance. Their dams create wetlands, keep water in the landscape for longer and promote biodiversity. The organisation said such natural water reservoirs were particularly important after the recent dry summer.

A study from Switzerland published in March also indicated that beaver wetlands could turn water corridors into long-term carbon sinks, the WWF said.