What is beaver-based restoration and how can it help us?

A Science Pub lecture with Meg Waller, Environmental Scientist, and Restoration Program Manager with Bark.

Climate change is impacting our environments more than ever. Our region is predicted to get less precipitation, both in the form of rain and snow, and in turn experience more frequent and intense wildfires over an extended fire season. This impacts humans, plants, animals and the land alike.

Considering these predictions, a major focus of restoration groups across the region is how to store more water. One of the most valuable partners in this water-focused restoration is beavers! By damming small streams, they create ponds and wetlands that store water and offer myriad other ecosystem benefits. Beavers benefit nearly all aspects of our ecosystems, storing and filtering water, sequestering carbon, increasing nutrients and boosting biodiversity.

After centuries of being hunted for their pelts and castoreum, beavers are having a moment or, more accurately, a movement. People from Oregon to Georgia to Scotland are teaming up to spread the word about the incredible work these semi-aquatic rodents can do and how beneficial they are to so many ecosystems. Beaver-based restoration is an emerging, holistic restoration method perfectly suited to a dynamic planet.

Science Pubs are a casual lecture series located in fun venues across the region, recommended for ages 10 and over.