Broken logs protrude sharply from the undergrowth, felled logs dot the landscape, and water laps beneath your boots. Anyone who enters beaver territory is sometimes shocked. It’s a desert here, very different from a man-made cultural landscape. But however powerful the beaver is at work, its contribution is just as valuable: it corrects our human errors.
We have built our homes and fields to the banks of the river, helpless at the mercy of the floods. At the same time, we are without water in times of drought because not a drop can survive in our enclosed landscapes. On the other hand, beavers create floodplain landscapes if you let them. And they, in turn, protect people. When swollen rivers do not reach boiler rooms but into meadows, there is less flood damage. Beaver dams ensure that the groundwater level remains high even in dry seasons – which is of fundamental importance in times of global warming with frequent dry spells.
Beavers as species and protectors of climate
The main work of the beaver is damming and rerouting. By cutting down trees and building dams, he slows down the flow of water. Streams and rivers are clogged, overflowing, spilled. Broken forests and damp meadows arise. This, in turn, attracts many species whose habitat is constantly shrinking, such as black storks, otters, and kingfishers. Juvenile fish find shelter where there is dead wood in the water. British research team, to be discussed later, showed in his studyThe number of fish in beaver tanks has increased by more than a third compared to waters without rodents. This makes the beaver a very effective conservationist.
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