Two studies from Scotland and Devon on how beavers are working to slow the flow of rivers and help alleviate the impact of flooding.
Beavers ‘Help To Prevent Flooding’, Says Scottish Study
Scotland’s beaver population may help to prevent flooding, according to an academic study. The rodents, which are living wild around the River Tay, were accused by some locals of contributing to flooding in the Perthshire village of Blyth. But Stirling University researchers said beaver dams helped to mitigate flooding by storing and then slowly releasing water. And they said beaver dams also helped to improve local wildlife habitats. The study was part of a 13-year programme of research by the university’s scientists, who studied streams which drained water from 13 hectares of surrounding countryside … www.bbc.co.uk
Guardian “Look at these teeth marks!” Professor Richard Brazier pauses, mud oozing over his Wellington boots, to admire the work of a pair of beavers who have been introduced into a patch of Devon woodland. “Just look at the size of them!” He runs his fingers along the incisions left in the exposed trunk of a recently toppled tree, before turning to survey the devastation around him. The devastation is part of a scheme that backers hope will provide a template for a more balanced approach to flood prevention. The government is spending £3.2bn on flood management in the course of this parliament. As flood events such as those seen in Cumbria at the end of last year become more common, so attention has turned to flood management, with a call for resources to be allocated not to building flood defences to deal with the water when it arrives downstream but prevent it getting there at all. The beavers resident on the three hectares of woodland near Okehampton in Devon could be part of the solution. In the five years since they moved there, they have toppled trees, gnawed bark, dug channels, constructed dams and made a rather impressive home for themselves. “Prior to working with beavers we’d never really come across animals that would disrupt your work so much,” says Brazier, a hydrologist at the University of Exeter, as he surveys the tangle of branches and tree trunks.
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