Beavers, widely known as “ecosystem engineers”, once lived throughout Britain before hunting drove them to extinction around 400 years ago.
The semi-aquatic mammals returned to the wild in 2015 through a reintroduction project on the River Otter in Devon. In February this year, four pairs were also released into the Par and Fowey rivers in Cornwall.
Researcher Puttock said one of the most important ways beavers transform their environment is by building dams.
“One of the biggest modifications beavers do is build dams… that creates these really complex wetlands, which for beavers provides them with safety from predators and ability to move around in the landscape.
“Increasingly, our research has shown this provides benefits to us as people and society, building a more resilient landscape.”
By holding more water in the landscape, beaver wetlands can help communities prepare for both flooding and extended dry periods.
The gradual release of stored water also creates valuable wildlife habitats and strengthens local water resilience, he added.
Puttock said wetland ponds could hold around 1,000 cubic metres of water each, while leaky dams reduced peak water flows by up to 30% by temporarily retaining rainfall and runoff.
“One beaver wetland won’t solve all of our drought problems,” he said.
“But overall, as beavers expand in our landscapes, and also as we do other nature-based solutions or wetland creation schemes… it does mean that we are less prone to droughts.”
When Puttock began studying beavers about a decade ago, his research focused on flood management rather than wildfire prevention.
“We’re famously a wet country but there’s been a whole raft of really positive research coming out of the States that’s basically working on the premise that water doesn’t burn,” he said.
“When we can create wetlands and beaver wetlands, it creates resilient landscapes to drought but also to the extremes of drought such as wildfires.
“Having these wet landscapes can provide that firebreak.”
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Source: www.bbc.co.uk