To help fight climate change, turn to toothy dam builders
Beavers are famous for gnawing on wood and building giant dams in rivers and streams. Those dams help fight climate change — as they store water, increase biodiversity, and curb fires. Now California scientists are urging the state to reestablish the rodents’ dwindling population, and a new statewide “beaver restoration unit” just might do the trick. “When the beaver builds its dam, it starts to create a pond and slow the water down. And that gives it time to really seep out into the soil around it,” says Emily Fairfax, assistant professor of environmental science and resource management at Cal State Channel Islands. “And that is water storage.”