Dutch water authorities struggle with rising beaver damage
Water authorities across the Netherlands are reporting a sharp increase in labor hours spent managing beaver-related issues, with the number of hours doubling last year compared to the year before, according to data from the Association of Water Boards (Unie van Waterschappen) analyzed by Omroep Gelderland.
The Limburg Water Authority recorded the highest workload, dedicating more than 9,000 hours to addressing damage caused by the protected species. The North Brabant Aa en Maas Water Authority followed, with 8,000 hours. In Gelderland, Rivierenland Water Authority was most affected, with nearly 2,400 hours spent on beaver-related tasks last year—almost double the hours from the previous year.
Beavers, particularly during high water, dig burrows into dikes to keep dry, compromising the stability of flood defenses. Most of the labor hours are spent sealing these burrows, inspecting dikes, and implementing preventive measures. These measures include excavating existing burrows and reinforcing vulnerable areas with mesh and stones.
“In Heerewaarden and Brakel, we repaired extensive excavation damage to summer dikes,” said a Rivierenland spokesperson. “At both locations, multiple burrows were filled with clay and riprap.”
Summer dikes, or low-lying flood defenses, are closer to the river and primarily protect against smaller water surges. They differ from higher winter dikes, which serve as the main flood defenses during heavy rainfall and river overflow.
The beaver population in Rivierenland is estimated at around 2,000, according to the water authority’s beaver coordinator. Nationally, the Association of Water Boards estimates there are over 6,000 beavers, though precise numbers are unavailable.
Reintroduced in the late 1980s after being absent for more than 150 years, the beaver has become an integral part of Dutch biodiversity." Beavers increase biodiversity, and you can’t have too many of them," said Elze Polman of the Mammal Society in an earlier interview with Omroep Gelderland.
However, Polman noted that their activities sometimes pose challenges. “They’re territorial and will settle disputes among themselves, but they can burrow in areas that aren’t convenient for us, like dikes or under railways. Those are places we don’t want to find beaver burrows.”
The rising beaver population has led to increasing calls for a national approach to managing the challenges posed by the species. "We had to repair damage caused by a beaver in the floodplain near Druten," said Wilbert Litjens, a dairy farmer and a member of the Rivierenland Water Authority board representing the BBB political party. "We believe the animal is still there. You don’t want to imagine what could happen if a dike fails due to a beaver during high water."
Litjens emphasized the need for national coordination. “It must change. Hopefully, there will be a national beaver policy next year,” he said.
Currently, each province operates under its own beaver protocol, in line with national and provincial legislation. Rivierenland Water Authority, which oversees areas in Gelderland, South Holland, North Brabant, and Utrecht, has previously advocated for a unified national approach. “The scale of this challenge exceeds the capacity of individual water authorities,” the authority said in a statement.
Litjens described the financial burden of preventive measures, noting that Rivierenland manages and maintains over 1,000 kilometers of river dikes and embankments. “We’re talking about millions of euros in prevention costs. Who pays for all that? That’s something we need to figure out.”
Litjens added: “The beaver isn’t going anywhere, and I think it’s a bigger problem than the wolf.”
