Lutra 46(2)_Editorial_2003

Beavers

A conference is always a good opportunity to meet old friends and to make some new ones, but the main goal is of course to exchange knowledge. This year the Third International Beaver Symposium was held in Arnhem, the Netherlands. The Symposium was hosted by the Society for the Study and Conservation of Mammals (VZZ), and was attended by 123 beaver researchers from 23 countries. Subjects of presentations and posters ranged from genetics and autecology to distribution, population development and effects of the European beaver (Castor fiber) and the American beaver (Castor canadensis) on ecosystems. We know that beaver specialists nowadays mostly prefer other common names, i.e. the Eurasian beaver and the North American or Canadian beaver, but in this issue we use the generally accepted common names, i.e. as given in ‘The atlas of European mammals’ by Mitchell-Jones et al. (1999). We propose that the possible change of the common names of the two beaver species be discussed at the Fourth International Beaver Symposium (to be held in Freising, Germany in 2006). This Lutra beaver special is the outcome of ......