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Beaver nature trail
On the Beaver Trail in Kitzingen, visitors can learn all about the fascinating world of beavers. Follow BiBi – the Bimbach beaver – and set off on a journey of discovery through his territory.
Along the trail there are eight information boards offering fascinating insights into the life and habits of this impressive animal. Among other things, the boards explain how beavers shape their environment, the importance they have for the ecosystem, and how they manage to transform entire landscapes. In addition, QR codes on the panels provide access to further information, turning the walk into an interactive experience. Sturdy footwear is recommended. Unfortunately, the beaver nature trail is only partially suitable for pushchairs or wheelchairs.
The Beaver Nature Trail starts not far from the new roundabout on the road between Kitzingen and Großlangheim and runs for around one kilometre along both sides of the Bimbach stream. Eight information boards provide visitors with key facts and figures about the beaver, which was still considered extinct in Germany in the mid-19th century but has since re-established itself along almost all the streams in the district. More than 200 beavers have now made their home in the Kitzingen district.
Guided tours
More than 50 nursery school children from Kitzingen were the trail’s first official visitors and their eyes lit up when Uwe Hartmann showed them a beaver pelt, a set of beaver teeth and a skull – all of which are part of the beaver rucksack that has also been purchased. Guided tours will be offered in future for interested primary school classes and nursery groups. Anyone interested can visit the beaver nature trail from now on.
Funding
The project was 70 per cent funded by the government of Lower Franconia. The town’s own contribution amounted to around 7,600 euros, whilst the total cost was approximately 25,300 euros.
Beaver management
A friend to some, an enemy to others – in order to strike a balance between the strict protection of beavers and people’s needs for land use, local authorities are increasingly turning to training and deploying beaver advisers. Tobias Gust has been a certified beaver adviser since 2018.
The tasks that await Tobias Gust as a beaver consultant are very varied. In Bavaria, beaver management is based on four pillars:
Consultancy
Through talks and field trips, beaver experts share important information about beavers and their way of life.
Prevention
By having the municipal beaver adviser carry out regular checks of beaver territories several times a week, protecting individual trees, installing electric fences or designating buffer strips along watercourses, it is possible to prevent damage in advance or at least minimise it.
Compensation for damages
The Bavarian Ministry of the Environment has set up a compensation fund designed to protect the agricultural, forestry and fish farming sectors from excessive crop losses.
Access
If there is no other solution, if there is a risk of serious damage, or if preventive measures are too costly, beavers may be captured and killed, and their lodges removed, upon application.
