Report on California’s Beaver Restoration Program and its Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

This report details the State of California’s renewed beaver restoration and management program, with a specific focus on its contributions to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The analysis covers the historical context, policy evolution, and initial outcomes of the program, which saw the first state-led beaver relocation in over 70 years in 2023.

Historical Context and Policy Evolution

A History of Adversarial Management

For centuries, the relationship between humans and beavers (Castor canadensis) in California was fraught. Key historical phases include:

• The Fur Trade Era: An aggressive fur trade in the 19th century led to the near-extirpation of beavers from much of their historical range within the state.
• Post-War Development: In the mid-20th century, a focus on development and water engineering led to a lethal management approach for beavers deemed a “nuisance” due to flooding or damage to infrastructure.
• Misconceptions in Science: Early 20th-century zoological surveys, notably by Joseph Grinnell, erroneously concluded that beavers were not native to the mountainous regions of California, including the Sierra Nevada. This scientific “amnesia” justified lethal control policies for decades.

Advocacy, Research, and Policy Reform

A shift towards a conservation-focused approach was driven by decades of advocacy and research that corrected the historical record and promoted coexistence. This paradigm shift supports SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) by demonstrating collaboration between non-profits, researchers, and Indigenous communities.

1. Correcting the Historical Record: Research led by figures like Richard Lanman provided definitive evidence of the beaver’s widespread historical presence across California. Evidence included carbon-dated beaver dams in the Sierra Nevada, analysis of Indigenous languages (which universally had words for beaver), and examination of historical pictographs, such as the one at Painted Rock on the Tule River Reservation.
2. Education and Coexistence Campaigns: Organizations like the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center (OAEC) led campaigns to dispel myths about beavers and provide landowners with non-lethal management tools, such as pond levelers and tree protection.
3. Legislative and Policy Changes: Advocacy efforts culminated in significant policy reforms. In 2023, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) updated its policies to prioritize non-lethal coexistence measures. This was followed by budget allocations and permanent program support through Assembly Bill 2196, establishing the Beaver Restoration Program.

Program Implementation and Sustainable Development Goal Contributions

Program Overview: A Nature-Based Solution

The CDFW’s Beaver Restoration Program relocates beavers from areas where they cause human-wildlife conflict to ancestral habitats, primarily on tribal lands. This initiative serves as a powerful nature-based solution, directly advancing multiple SDGs through the restoration of a keystone species.

SDG 15: Life on Land

The program’s primary objective is the restoration of terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems.

• Ecosystem Engineering: As “ecosystem engineers,” beavers construct dams that create and restore vital wetland habitats. This directly addresses Target 15.1, which calls for the conservation and restoration of freshwater ecosystems.
• Biodiversity Enhancement: The revitalized wetlands attract a diverse range of wildlife, including species like the willow flycatcher, sandhill cranes, and river otters, contributing to Target 15.5 by halting biodiversity loss.

SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation & SDG 13: Climate Action

The hydrological impacts of beaver activity provide significant benefits for water security and climate resilience.

• Water Quality and Availability: Beaver dams slow water flow, trapping silt and improving downstream water quality. They also recharge groundwater and maintain more consistent streamflows, mitigating the impacts of drought. This supports Target 6.6 (protect and restore water-related ecosystems).
• Climate Resilience: The saturated landscapes created by beavers act as natural firebreaks, increasing resilience to the destructive wildfires exacerbated by climate change. These wetlands also sequester carbon, contributing to climate mitigation efforts aligned with SDG 13.

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

The program enhances community resilience and recognizes cultural heritage.

• Partnership with Indigenous Peoples: The program’s collaboration with the Tule River Tribe and the Mountain Maidu people respects and integrates traditional ecological knowledge. This partnership model supports Target 11.4 by strengthening efforts to protect cultural heritage.
• Disaster Risk Reduction: By mitigating both drought and fire risk, the program contributes to Target 11.5, which aims to reduce the impacts of climate-related disasters on communities.

Initial Relocation Case Studies

Tásmam Koyóm (Mountain Maidu)

In October 2023, the first family of seven beavers was released onto Mountain Maidu lands. The relocation is considered a major success. The beavers have constructed a significant dam, and a 2025 CDFW report credited them with increasing water coverage in the meadow by over 22%. For the Mountain Maidu, who consider the beaver family, the event was a “welcoming home” that promised spiritual and ecological healing for the land.

Tule River Reservation

Following ancient pictographic evidence of beavers on their land, the Tule River Tribe partnered with the state to reintroduce the species to address water scarcity. While initial releases in 2024 faced challenges, including predation, the tribe remains committed to the long-term goal of restoring beavers to their watershed to secure a sustainable water supply.

Conclusion

California’s Beaver Restoration Program represents a significant shift from adversarial wildlife management to a model of coexistence and process-based restoration. By leveraging a keystone species as a nature-based solution, the program provides a compelling example of how targeted conservation efforts can generate cascading benefits that simultaneously advance critical Sustainable Development Goals, including those related to biodiversity, clean water, climate action, and sustainable communities.

Analysis of the Article in Relation to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

  The article directly addresses water-related issues. The Tule River Tribe’s motivation for beaver restoration was to “shore up the reservation’s water” during drought years. The text highlights beavers’ ability to provide “more consistent water supplies,” improve “water quality,” store water, and trap silt, all of which are central to SDG 6.

• SDG 13: Climate Action

  The article connects beaver restoration to climate resilience. It explicitly states that one of the benefits beavers provide is “increased fire resilience.” By creating moist grasslands and wetlands, beavers help create natural firebreaks, which is a crucial adaptation strategy for climate-related hazards like the destructive fires that affect California.

• SDG 15: Life on Land

  This is a primary focus of the article. The entire initiative is about beaver conservation and ecosystem restoration. The text describes how reintroducing beavers has “reinvigorated the wetland habitat” and is a form of “process-based restoration” for entire watersheds. It also notes the return of other wildlife, such as “willow flycatchers, sandhill cranes, and river otters,” directly linking the project to halting biodiversity loss and restoring terrestrial ecosystems.

• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

  The article emphasizes the collaborative nature of the beaver restoration project. It details the partnership between a state agency (California Department of Fish and Wildlife – CDFW), Native American tribes (Tule River Tribe and Mountain Maidu), and a non-profit organization (Occidental Arts and Ecology Center – OAEC). This multi-stakeholder approach, involving advocacy, policy change, and on-the-ground implementation, is the essence of SDG 17.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

  • Target 6.6: By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes. The beaver restoration program is a direct action to restore freshwater ecosystems. The article states that the beavers’ homecoming has “reinvigorated the wetland habitat” and that their dams “store water and trap silt, improving water quality downstream.”

• SDG 13: Climate Action

  • Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries. The article highlights that beaver-created wetlands “can also put the brakes on the destructive fires that beleaguer the forests of dry western states like California.” This demonstrates strengthening resilience to climate-related disasters (wildfires and droughts).

• SDG 15: Life on Land

  • Target 15.1: By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services. The project’s goal to “reimagine humanity’s relationship with a species” and use beavers for the “restoration… of entire watersheds” directly aligns with this target.
  • Target 15.5: Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species. The article notes that the restored habitat is “drawing in wildlife like willow flycatchers (Empidonax traillii), sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) and river otters (Lontra canadensis),” which is a clear effort to halt biodiversity loss by restoring a keystone species’ habitat.
  • Target 15.9: By 2020, integrate ecosystem and biodiversity values into national and local planning, development processes… The article describes the policy shift within the CDFW, the creation of the beaver restoration program in the state budget, and the passing of Assembly Bill 2196. This shows the successful integration of ecosystem values (the benefits of beavers) into state-level planning and policy.

• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

  • Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships. The entire initiative is built on such a partnership. The article describes how the “state’s wildlife agency partnered with Native American tribes” and how a non-profit, OAEC, worked with the tribes to engage in “the democratic arts of policy change.”

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Increase in water coverage: The article provides a specific, quantifiable indicator of ecosystem restoration. It cites an April 2025 CDFW report which “credits the beavers with increasing water coverage in the meadow by more than 22%.” This directly measures progress towards Target 6.6 and 15.1.
• Return of wildlife species: The article implies an indicator for biodiversity (Target 15.5) by listing the species that have returned to the restored habitat: “willow flycatchers (Empidonax traillii), sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) and river otters (Lontra canadensis).” Monitoring the presence and population of these species serves as an indicator of ecosystem health.
• Number of beavers relocated: The article mentions the specific number of beavers relocated in the first instance (“releasing seven on Indigenous Mountain Maidu lands”) and notes subsequent releases. The number of relocated animals is a process indicator for the restoration program.
• Policy and legislative changes: The successful implementation of policy changes serves as an indicator for Target 15.9. The article mentions the “2023, CDFW policy was updated,” the inclusion of the program in the “2022… Governor Gavin Newsom… budget,” and the passing of “Assembly Bill 2196” in 2024. These are concrete milestones indicating the integration of conservation values into state governance.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: news.mongabay.com