Beavers and the borealisation of the Arctic: Understanding cascading social and biophysical change

Shifts of boreal species into the Arctic are causing transformative change to ecosystems, the environment, and human societies. This workshop will coordinate activities across arctic research sites of examine the causes and consequences of population and distribution change in two particularly influential mammal species which are currently transforming large areas of arctic and alpine tundra, the north American beaver and the Eurasian beaver. The large-scale collaboration across international sites where beaver research is occurring or planned will allow us to evaluate the magnitude of climate and ecosystem feedbacks from distribution change in this species and examine the social impacts of both the expansion of this species and the cascade of environmental changes it generates. The workshop will be focussed on a) finalising a synthesis of key research questions related to expansion of beavers into the Arctic, b) developing a research agenda and research protocols and approaches to address key ecological and social questions concerning beaver range expansion into the Arctic and c) consulting with Indigenous organisations on research priorities and the best approaches to ensure the research and its outcomes are equitable and inclusive.

https://sites.google.com/alaska.edu/a-bon/2022-meeting

The Beavers and the borealisation of the Arctic: Understanding cascading social and biophysical change is co-funded through the IASC cross-cutting funds with contributions from the IASC Social & Human WG and Terrestrial WG. 

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