Miguel Jorge
WriterJournalist. I've spent more than half of my life writing about technology, science, and culture. Before landing here, I worked at Telefónica, Prisa, Globus Comunicación, Hipertextual, and Gizmodo. I'm part of Webedia's cross-section team.
Beavers significantly impact river ecosystems and have played an important role in establishing civilizations. Additionally, these creatures are known for their ability to construct natural dams, which help mitigate the impact of floods. The latest masterpiece by a Czech family of beavers has recently brought them into the spotlight.
A project on hold. For seven years, government authorities in the Czech region of Brdy tried to implement a project to construct a dam on the Klabava River, which is situated about 25 miles southwest of Prague. The aim of this project was to protect the local ecosystem, particularly a critically endangered species of crayfish, by preventing sediment and acidic water from two nearby ponds from contaminating the river.
The project was approved in 2018, securing more than $1 million in funding and all necessary permits. However, delays arose due to extended negotiations over the use of land that had previously been designated as a military training ground. At this point, beavers became involved in the situation.
Beavers to the rescue. While bureaucratic delays held up construction plans, a family of beavers took matters into their own hands. Without waiting for permits or studies, they built a series of dams. As such, rodents addressed the issues authorities were trying to solve and expanded the wetland area to more than 215,000 square feet–double what the engineers had anticipated.
More importantly, according to the Czech Republic’s Nature Conservation Agency, the beavers’ spontaneous engineering efforts saved the authorities around $1 million.
Natural engineers. Beavers are renowned for their remarkable ability to shape and alter landscapes. When building their dams, they place small stones in a riverbed and compact them with mud. They repeat this process until they create a pond, which they then expand to form a wetland.
But why do they do this? Researchers believe their primary motivation is safety. Beavers are excellent swimmers capable of holding their breath underwater for up to 15 minutes. However, they’re quite clumsy on land and vulnerable to predators such as bears, wolves, and mountain lions. By constructing an aquatic habitat, they create a refuge from potential threats.
Not the first time. Surprisingly, the Czech Republic isn’t the first place where these animals have played a key role in conservation projects. For example, in California, beavers have helped restore a floodplain northeast of Sacramento, generating ecological benefits and saving authorities some money. After the Sharps Fire, beaver habitats remained intact and green in Idaho, while the surrounding areas were severely damaged.
In regions where the introduction of beavers is restricted, such as parts of California, groups like the Yurok tribe have started to build structures that mimic beaver dams to attract them naturally and benefit from their presence. Meanwhile, in Oregon, scientists discovered that beaver dams filter out heavy metals and pollutants twice as effectively as expensive stormwater treatment plants.
Not all roses. Despite their significant contributions to ecosystem regeneration, beavers are often perceived as a nuisance. This is due to the damage they can cause to trees and crops, and the potential for flooding fields and roads.
Beaver resurgence. Eurasian beavers were nearly hunted to extinction in Europe, but they’ve been reintroduced in several regions, including the Czech Republic. Science journalist Ben Goldfarb, author of Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, points out that beavers have been beneficial to humans for centuries. The recent resurgence of beavers in the Czech Republic exemplifies how these animals can effectively address environmental issues.
Gerhard Schwab, a German beaver expert, told National Geographic that he’s not surprised by the rodents’ effectiveness. However, he doubts that they built the dam “overnight,” suggesting that their work may not have been noticed until it was completed last January. Despite this, he acknowledged the beavers’ remarkable ability to transform landscapes and modify water flow.
The conservation dilemma. Despite their remarkable engineering abilities, beavers pose a challenge for conservation projects due to their unpredictability.
Emily Fairfax, an ecology professor at the University of Minnesota, explained to The New York Times that beavers dramatically alter water flow and landscape biodiversity. However, this transformation can also complicate human activities because their constructions can’t be precisely predicted. This has led many to label them as an invasive species.
As a result, the positive impact of beavers may be underestimated, leading authorities to overlook or ignore the animals’ contributions when planning environmental projects. In the end, an increasing number of studies and case analyses show that beavers play an invaluable role in wetland restoration. Allowing these creatures to operate freely, rather than resorting to artificial and costly solutions, could offer a natural and sustainable means of conserving water ecosystems.
Image | Niklas Hamann
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