Beaver Dams Build Resilience to Anthropogenic Stressors Within Freshwater Ecosystems

Anthropogenic degradation of freshwater ecosystems is a significant issue within the Western United States. Pristine river ecosystems, such as Idaho’s Salmon River, may be at increased risk of degradation due to their sensitivity to temperature changes. Streams, rivers, and wetlands provide invaluable ecosystem services such as groundwater recharge, carbon sequestration, and wildlife habitat. Freshwater restoration is costly, and natural resource managers are seeking the most cost-effective and most successful restoration methodology. Beaver activities, particularly dam building, can be beneficial in mitigating the effects of climate change and other anthropogenic stressors within freshwater ecosystems. Beaver dams and beaver dam analogs primarily normalize streamflow velocities, increase water storage, and increase habitat complexity, which can build resilience within at-risk freshwater ecosystems. This can be accomplished by relocating beavers to suitable dam-building habitat, and/or the building of beaver dam analogs by restoration practitioners. Suitable streams and rivers can be selected for dam building capacity using models like the Beaver Restoration Assessment Tool (BRAT).