Carinthian state government wants to release up to 740 beavers for killing

With the planned extension and tightening of the beaver regulation, the Carinthian state government enables the killing of up to 740 strictly protected animals in the next five years. “This is a massive attack on species protection, because the state government wants to more than double the number of permitted killings per year. However, the individual cases prescribed by European law are still not intended,” criticizes WWF expert Sarah Layendecker. “This not only violates the government’s applicable EU law, but also deprives Carinthia of the many advantages of the beaver in the ecosystem.” Therefore, the WWF calls for the withdrawal of the regulation and a fundamental rethink. “Especially in times of the climate and biodiversity crisis, the beaver has a key role as an ecosystem engineer, since it can cushion extreme weather events for us humans and create habitats for other species,” says Layendecker.

The WWF calls on the state government for the greater support of ecosystem services. The creation of valuable bank strips for beavers leads to a win-win situation. “On the one hand, the beavers improve the local climate with their construction activity, promote biodiversity and raise the groundwater level. On the other hand, natural areas of natural areas reduce the earth, fertilizer and pesticide entry into the water- and thus the follow-up costs, which arise, for example, by sludge or over-fertilization,” explains WWF expert Sarah Layendecker. “Due to its unique lifestyle, the beaver contributes to the renaturation of degraded or destroyed habitats. This also makes him a valuable ally in the implementation of the EU Renaturungs Ordinance.”

Government campaign against strictly protected species

The extension of the beaver regulation is only the last building block in a longer series of Carinthian killing regulations against strictly protected species. The Carinthian state government also allows massive interventions in the populations at Wolf and otter. When removing fish potters, the country even approves the use of conibear traps, which can lead to bad injuries and agony in the animals. “These traps are prohibited in Austria for animal welfare reasons – among other things because they are not selective, so that other types can also become victims of this outdated practice,” warns WWF expert Sarah Layendecker. According to the Fauna-Flora-Habitat guideline, wolf, beavers and otters are strictly protected. Exceptions to this strict protection are only legally permitted in absolute individual cases. However, the state government has violated these requirements for years with its general killing regulations.