The Beaver Futures Framework: Stakeholder value perspectives on future human-beaver coexistence.

Abstract

Human-wildlife coexistence increasingly requires approaches that make diverse value perspectives explicit. We introduce the Beaver Futures Framework (BFF), which integrates intrinsic, instrumental, and relational values, as well as instrumental damages of beavers, to support more inclusive discussions on beaver management in the Netherlands. We applied the BFF in a workshop with beaver professionals to examine how participants valued beavers and how these values related to their self-placement within the framework. The BFF proved effective for systematically exploring and collecting beaver values, stimulating mutual understanding among participants, and revealing both shared and divergent perspectives within the group. These findings demonstrate the framework's potential to support inclusive stakeholder engagement and to map value plurality in ways that inform coexistence strategies. Because of its generic structure, the BFF can be adapted to other species or ecosystems, offering a promising tool for navigating complex human-wildlife interactions in increasingly anthropogenic landscapes.