How beavers are helping us fight climate change – one dam at a time

There is a growing body of evidence that beavers could be powerful natural allies as we try to turn the tide on a whole smorgasbord of man-made problems. They have proved that they can support in efforts to prevent flooding, soil erosion, habitat and species loss, agricultural run-off entering waterways, and freshwater pollution.

A beaver chewing its way through a cottonwood tree for building material — A beaver in the US chewing its way through a cottonwood tree for building material (credit: Getty Images)

If there’s no suitable habitat in the area, they’ll simply engineer their own. Thousands of years of evolution have seen to it that beavers will compulsively dam up fast flowing streams if no suitably deep water is available.

Beaver swims along — A beaver swims along a river in Kent, England. In 2002, two beaver families were released into a contained colony at Ham Fen nature reserve in Kent. Subsequent flooding of the reserve led to their escape and combination of these escapees and rumoured ‘illegal’ beaver releases into the river systems has led to an established population that now live in the river Stour catchment area (credit: Getty Images)

Armed with powerful jaws and impressive, chisel-like incisors, they do this by felling trees whose trunks are driven vertically to create the initial framework of the dam. The beavers work quickly and methodically to reinforce the structure with small branches, twigs, rocks and even mud that they knead into the smallest gaps. The slightest sound of trickling water sends them into a flurry of activity as they locate and plug up any leaks.

A beaver dam in front of a river — A beaver dam on Sutherland Beck, a stream in Scotland where a natural flood management project involving beavers was implemented (credit: Getty Images)

Trees felled by beavers along a river in Kent, England.(credit: Getty Images)

Beavers were driven to extinction in the British Isles by the 16th century, having been hunted for their fur, meat and castoreum, a secretion from their scent glands that was used in perfumes and medicines.

Close-up of a beaver with two cubs is feeding on willow leaves and branches in the shallow water by the river bank. — Beaver family feeding on willow leaves and branches (credit: Getty Images)

Formal beaver reintroductions have been underway in the UK since 2009, when the Scottish Beaver Trial released the first beavers to the wild in Scotland for over 400 years. This marked the first ever formal reintroduction of a native mammal species in Britain and launched a groundbreaking study to explore how beavers can enhance and restore natural environments.

Thanks to many more reintroduction programmes like this, these industrious mammals are once again an intrinsic part of our landscape. Most recently in March 2025, the National Trust reintroduced beavers in Purbeck, Dorset (one of the best wildlife-watching destinations).

Close-up view of young beavers in lake preparing dam — Young beavers preparing a dam (credit: Getty Images)

Beavers offer an attractively natural, low-cost solution to many landscape and water-management problems, but it is important to note that they aren’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Much of the South West, particularly Cornwall, is ideal beaver territory since there is little by way of low-lying farmland or forestry.

Which other species benefit from beaver reintroduction?

Water voles

Despite the presence of non-native American mink, trials have discovered that water voles (now rare in Britain) are colonising new wetlands and pools created from the beaver dams.

Snipe

Marshland created by the beavers has attracted large numbers of snipe. Historic loss of wetlands has caused steep declines in snipe populations, particularly in the south-west of England.

Otters

European otter on shoreline rocks in the Shetland Islands, Scotland (credit: Getty Images)

Otters rely on natural holes in the riverbank for holts. Surveys during trials recorded otter spraint (dung) in the collapsed chambers of unused beaver lodges – they seem to benefit otters’ needs.

European eels

European Eel, Anguilla Anguilla, single head shot of fish in reeds. Warwickshire, August 2014 — European eel in the reeds, Warwickshire (credit: Getty Images)

European eels comprised 2.3 per cent of fish surveyed in 2019 from a tributary of the Otter. Sediment lurking in beaver pools creates the ideal habitat for these fish to rear their young.

Top image credit: Getty Images