Beavers enlisted to revive British Columbia's drying swamps

Two adult beavers building dams and reservoirs in British Columbia have been relocated, causing problems for local farmers. Now, they can create wetlands without interference in places where they are needed.

One of these animals, which had previously been injured, was treated at the Interior Wildlife Rehabilitation Society (IWRS) center. After a successful recovery process, the pair of beavers was released on the Nooaitch Indian Reserve. Their activities are essential for restoring drying wetlands there. IWRS reminded on its social media profile that restoring swamps increases resilience to fires and drought while also helping to protect against floods.

The beavers were caught at landowners' request near Merritt, British Columbia. Biologist Tom Willms was entrusted with this task. At the end of June this year, he took the animals to the IWRS centre, with which he regularly collaborates. According to the institute, IWRS is an organisation that is part of an environmental protection project run by the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (NVIT).

Public broadcaster CBC relayed the words of biologists who emphasized that hunting led to a "drastic" decline in beaver populations, which in turn contributed to the drying up of swamps. Too few beavers mean that there are too few reservoirs created by dams, which maintain the moisture of the swamps. Biologists themselves began to rebuild dams modeled on beaver constructions, and it is precisely in these areas that the animals, which were unwanted elsewhere, are released.