Beavers saving the environment

The beaver Castor canadensis is the largest rodent in North America and constructs dams with the complexity of what a civil engineer studies for his degree. They are second only to humans in their ability to alter their landscapes and also equipped with pragmatic skills to repair and upkeep their homes. Besides having such a talent, they are found to be monogamous and mate during January and February. Furthermore, they communicate with posture and scent marking, and slap their tails to signify danger of predators.

In the wetlands in Canada, the presence of a beaver had a considerable effect on the amount of open water. The ability to manage water is extremely commendable, and they command an overwhelming influence on wetland creation and maintenance such that they can mitigate the effects of a drought. Climate change has recently stormed the world with its threat to wipe out the planet, and there have been efforts to increase its awareness held at the Copenhagen Summit 2009. It was suggested that beaver impoundments have high resistance to disturbance such as flooding, and that the beaver can mitigate the adverse effects of climate change. However, they are not impervious to long-term droughts, which compromises the survival of their colonies.

It just goes to show that the beavers value adds the environment by its aesthetically pleasing sight as well as in climate change. With such a behaviour to constantly build dams for their shelter and prevention against predators, it still has a good cause to it!

References
National Geographic. Beaver. http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/mammals/beaver/

Hinterland Who’s Who. Beaver. http://www.hww.ca/hww2.asp?cid=8&id=82

Glynnis A. Hood, Suzanne E. Bayley. Beaver (Castor canadensis) mitigate the effects of climate on the area of open water in boreal wetlands in western Canada