Beavers are large semiaquatic rodents best known for building dams, but new research suggests they may also help in the fight against climate change.
According to a new international study led by researchers from the University of Birmingham in the U.K., the University of Bern in Switzerland, and Wageningen University in the Netherlands, beaver activity can transform streams into powerful carbon sinks - systems that absorb more carbon dioxide than they release.
In the study, which was recently published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, the research team examined a stream corridor in northern Switzerland where beavers have been active for more than a decade. As beavers return to waterways across Europe, their impact is becoming increasingly clear.
Beavers are often called ecosystem engineers because of their ability to reshape entire landscapes. By slowing and redirecting the flow of water, their dams flood stream margins, create wetlands, and trap large amounts of organic and inorganic material, including carbon.
The study found that beaver-shaped wetlands stored carbon at rates up to ten times higher than similar areas without beavers. Over 13 years, the site captured more than 1,300 tons of carbon - about 4.5 tons of carbon dioxide per acre each year. Over time, this carbon can become locked into soils, sediments, and even deadwood for decades.
If expanded across suitable landscapes, beaver wetlands could offset 1.2 to 1.8% of Switzerland’s annual carbon emissions. Beavers are a natural and low-cost tool in the fight against climate change.
