Research area

The beaver species primarily found in Saxony is known as the "Elbe beaver" (Castor fiber albicus). As the Elbe beaver prefers slow-flowing and stagnant waters that are lined with softwood stands as a food source, its main distribution area in Saxony is in the northern part of the middle reaches of the Elbe and Mulde rivers. Increasingly, however, the beaver is also spreading in eastern Saxony along the Neisse and Oder rivers and in the foothills of the low mountain ranges to the south. In the Czech Republic, beaver populations are concentrated in the eastern part of the country, although larger populations can also be observed along the border with Bavaria (to the west) and Saxony (to the north).

Taking into account the program region for Interreg Saxony-Czech Republic 2021-2027, the investigations within the BIBOB project are primarily carried out in the districts of Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains (Saxony) and Děčín (Czech Republic). The project focuses in particular on the dam structures in the rivers Bahre and Sebnitz/Vilémovský potok as well as in other, smaller watercourses in the so-called "Schluckenauer Zipfel" (also: "Bohemian Lowlands").