DISES-RCN: A North American Beaver Knowledge and Management Network

University Of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis MN

Investigators

Abstract

Climate change stresses ecosystems in new and often alarming ways. Beaver-based restoration is gaining momentum as a nature-based climate solution in North America. However, there is a need for greater collaboration and coordination amongst researchers, managers, and policymakers. This Research Coordination Network (RCN) will synthesize existing research on the relationship between beaver management practices, beavers, and beaver-related ecosystem services in a way that reflects local and regional factors across the continent. It will identify variability in legal constraints on beaver management across political and ecosystem boundaries. It will facilitate knowledge transfer between management practitioners and research communities at local, regional, and continental scales. It will then assemble a summary of the "state of the science" that identifies key knowledge gaps and opportunities for progress in both basic and applied beaver science. This RCN will ensure that policy and land management decisions are grounded in data to maximize the potential for the beaver management as a nature-based solution. Co-production of key material will also open the door for voices that have been historically minimized, to be heard. To achieve these goals, the network will collate information from peer-reviewed and grey literature to identify knowledge gaps and misalignment between science and practice. The results of this literature will be archived in databases of geographically referenced beaver research findings, management practices, and policies that are set up for use in future meta-analyses. Four regional workshops and one continental-scale workshop will be convened to further explore these issues. Through the workshops and webinars, the reach and efficacy of existing professional networks within the beaver science and management communities will be extended. The RCN will thereby support collaborative, multidisciplinary discussions within and between geographic regions on how to best move the beaver science and management community towards effectively fostering climate resilience. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.