Beavers damaging Dutch flood defenses, water supply; Especially in Limburg

Every year, there are hundreds of incidents of beavers damaging the water infrastructure in the Netherlands, for example, by tunneling through flood defenses or disrupting the water level by building a dam. The vast majority of incidents are in Limburg, 1Limburg reports based on data from the Water Boards.

Between 2019 and 2021, the Limburg Water Board received 2,050 reports of damage caused by beavers. Last year, it cost about 400,000 euros to repair that damage. The Water Board also spent about 80,000 euros on prevention.

Limburg is by far the most affected by beavers. Aa en Maas in Noord-Brabant got the second most reports of beaver damage at 161 between 2019 and 2021. 85.6 percent of all beaver damage reports happened in Limburg.

There’s not a lot that Water Boards can do against these animals. “The beaver is on the list of protected species and is also protected by the Nature Conservation Act,” the Union of Water Boards said to 1Limburg. “The water managers are working with the Mammal Society and a few provinces on management measures in the form of a beaver protocol.”