Beaver (Castor fiber, Linné, 1758) in Croatia: status and perspective fifteen years after reintroduction

Abstract

Povijesni areal europskog dabra (Castor fiber L.) je obuhvaćao cijelu Hrvatsku. Dabar je tijekom 19. stoljeća nestao u većini europskih zemalja, pa tako i u Hrvatskoj. Hrvatska je po uzoru na druge europske zemlje i njihove uspješne provedene projekte povratka dabra u njihova prirodna staništa ostvarila i svoj projekt „Dabar u Hrvatskoj“. Projekt je uspješno realiziran. Planovi su počeli već 1992. godine, a prvi dabar je dovezen 1996.godine. Dabrovi su transportirani iz Bavarske na dva lokaliteta: lokalitet Legrad- rukavci Drave i lokalitet Žutica. Izvrsna očuvanost prirodnih vodotoka i vodenih površina Hrvatske omogućuje neprestan rast populacija. Europski dabar je najveći glodavac sjeverne polutke, semiakvatična je vrsta, prepoznatljiv je po svojim zubima kojim grize drveće i gradi svoje nastambe i brane. Razlozi izumiranja su preveliki izlov ili fragmentacija staništa. Dabrovi su važni za biološku raznolikost, za vodotoke, turizam i obrazovanje. Svojim prisustvom i načinom života imaju negativan utjecaj na poljoprivredne kulture, na okolno drveće, voćke, obale i dr. Na temelju Pravilnika o lovostaju dabar je zaštićena životinja i tijekom cijele godine je zabranjen lov. Kako bi europski dabar i dalje mogao nesmetano živjeti, i biti siguran potrebno je educirati oklono stanovništvo, održavati seminare, prezentacije, stalne monitoringe i ne uništavati prirodu koja mu je za život najpotrebnija.Historical area of the European beaver (Castor fiber L.) firstly covered whole Croatian territory. The beaver has dissapeared during the 19th century in most European countries, including Croatia. Comparing to the other countries successful projects of taking beavers back to their natural habitats, Croatia has also made the significant project "The beaver in Croatia", which has been successfully accomplished. Plans for this project first begun in 1992. while the first beaver was brought to Croatia in 1996. Therefore, beavers from Bavaria were transported to the two areas: to the place of Legrad - branches of Drava and to the place of Žutica. Excellent preservation of natural watercourses in Croatia provides a constant population growth. The European beaver is the biggest rodent in the northern hemisphere. It is a semiaquatic species, famous for his teeth which it uses for gnawing trees and building its dwellings and dams. Main reasons for their extinction are the excessive hunting and excessive fragmentation of their habitats. Beavers population is important for their biodiversity, the aquatic environment, tourism and education. The existence of the beavers and the way of their life have a negative impact on agricultural crops, surrounding trees, fruits, coastlines etc. Based on the Regulation of hunting, the beaver is protected animal and the year-round hunting is strictly prohibited by law. The most important is to educate the whole population about the way of life these unique spieces, arrange various presentations and seminars, as well as prevent destroying the nature in order to provide the European beaver to live more liberately