Viewpoint
Media portrayal of beaver (Castor fiber) related conflicts as an indicator of changes in EU-policies relevant to freshwater conservation
Highlights
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- Changes in European Union's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) led to re-intensification of formerly extensified agricultural areas.
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- We used media reporting on human–beaver conflicts as an indicator for a re-increased agricultural use of areas adjacent to waterways throughout Germany.
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- Our results cause concern that alterations in CAP can considerably affect riparian habitats and may have destructive impacts on the conservation of freshwater ecosystems.
Abstract
In
many European countries, the condition of the majority of waters still
does not meet advanced ecological standards. In this context,
conservation of riparian habitats is of particular importance. A
recently increasing demand for cultivable land led to changes in the
EU's subsidy policies. We argue that these changes to land use policies
can affect aquatic–terrestrial intersections. We used media reporting on
beaver-related aspects as a parameter for conflict potentials within
riparian habitats. We detected a considerable increase in conflicts
occurring concurrently with the re-intensification of agricultural land
use. Our results provide cause for concern that recent tendencies in
land use in the EU might have destructive impacts on freshwater
ecosystems.
Keywords
- Beaver recovery;
- EU agriculture policy;
- News media;
- Riparian habitat
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