Rivers, streams, lakes, ditches and wetland areas
Why introduce beavers to Britain?
- Beavers are part of Britain's native fauna and would still be present if it were not for human activity
- Beavers are a keystone species, acting as "ecosystem engineers" in and around riparian, wetland and forest ecosystems
- Beavers are inherently interesting to humans and could become a flagship species for raising awareness about nature conservation
- Their dams create upstream ponds which capture sediment and organic matter, possibly reducing water treatment costs
- By cleaning river water, they will increase the survival of fish fry, increasing biodiversity
- Dams and canals create new habitats, increasing the complexity and resilience of food webs
- By slowing water flow and creating new channels, they help reduce downstream flooding and help to maintain water levels through summer
Arguments against
- The dams they construct cause a huge increase in water surface area
- There is an increase in water depth
- Reduced oxygen levels in the water in spring and summer
- There is a loss of species dependent on riparian trees as habitats
- Altered populations of fish species
- Increased plankton productivity (eutrophication)
- Reduced variability in the rivers discharge regime.
- Will cost 1,879,100 euros
- They may restrict fish movement and migration
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