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Beavers are drought insurance
Photo: ©Jim Jurica/iStock.comHood, G.A. and S.E. Bayley. 2008. Beaver (Castor canadensis) mitigate the effects of climate on the area of open water in boreal wetlands in western Canada. Biological Conservation 141(2):556-567..
Climate change models predict more frequent and severe droughts in much of North America, and wetland habitats may be especially vulnerable. But a new study documents one simple and highly effective solution for helping these critical areas withstand dry spells. All it takes is beavers.
University of Alberta researchers Glynnis Hood and Suzanne Bayley used a 54-year record of aerial photographs to see how beavers influenced open-water wetlands in Alberta’s Elk Island National Park. Focusing on an 80-square-kilometer area of mixed boreal woodland, the team compared the photographs with climate information and park records showing the number and location of active beaver lodges. Beavers were extirpated from the area in the mid-1800s and not reintroduced until 1941.
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