For over four hundred years, no one had caught sight, in an Italian river, of the silhouette of the largest rodent of the Old World, with its prominent teeth and distinctive flat, scale-covered tail: the European beaver (Castor fiber). The presence of a specimen was documented a few days ago in a forest near Tarvisio, in the province of Udine. The animal was captured on camera by Renato Pontarini, a researcher with the Progetto lince Italia at the University of Turin, thanks to the installation of several camera traps after he noticed unusual gnaw marks on tree bark.

Where the "Friulian" beaver comes from

The presence of the beaver, probably coming from Austria, confirms the ecological value of the Tarvisio area, regarded as a vital wildlife corridor towards Italy and the entire Alpine arc, and gives grounds for hoping that the species will re-establish itself in Italy, restoring a precious piece of our biodiversity and adding a wonderful new animal to our fauna.

Why there are no more beavers in Italy

At one time the beaver was abundant in the waterways of the Bel Paese; its original distribution is not precisely known, but it is believed to have been widespread across northern and central Italy. These animals were then wiped out on account of their extraordinary fur, which was highly prized, as well as their meat, and the popular belief that a glandular secretion produced by the beaver was a cure-all. Across Europe, beaver populations suffered a sharp decline and the species became extinct in many areas. Today their numbers are growing, thanks to protection measures and reintroduction projects.

The importance of the beaver

The return of the beaver would make our rivers not "merely" richer and more exciting, but also safer for people and more hospitable for other animals. The beaver is indeed considered a keystone species and, through the profound changes it makes to the environment, plays an important ecological role. These animals are capable of "transforming" river ecosystems by building their famous dams. In doing so they "radically alter the behaviour of a river, slow it down, reduce run-off and erosion," writes George Monbiot in Feral. "They trap much of the load it carries, ensuring that water flows more decisively. Their dams also filter the sediments that harbour faecal bacteria." The work of these rodents thus changes the structure of rivers and, through the creation of small wetland and marshy areas, provides favourable conditions for the development of numerous species, such as amphibians, fish and waterbirds.

Hope on long incisors

The return of the beaver could therefore help us restore some of the delicate ecological mechanisms that we ourselves have helped to disrupt, and help us prevent the all-too-frequent disasters caused by our reckless management of rivers. Let us hope that the beaver spotted in the forest of Tarvisio — believed to be a young male weighing 15–18 kilograms — takes a liking to Friuli and can return there with a female to establish a colony, and that one day the species begins its natural expansion along the peninsula.