Mahek Kakkar- Beavers: A Key to our Survival

Mahek Kakkar
2/1/19

Beavers- A Key to our Survival 

Aside from making cozy homes for their families and being a cute sight to see, beavers play an important role in our environment. From building dams to purifying the water, Beavers are a keystone species, which means that they are crucial to the environment and greatly affect other wildlife that lives around them. Beavers affect the environment in many important and different ways. First, beavers create dams and wetlands upon which many species, like other animals and us, may depend on. In fact, almost half of all endangered and threatened species in North America rely on wetlands to survive. Along with this, 85% of all North American wild animal species also depend on wetlands.

Image result for picture of beaver and dam

These dams have many beneficial effects on the environment. For instance, dams change the direction of groundwater movement. Usually, groundwater flows down the center of a valley but water in a dam goes into river banks and underground towards the sides of the valley. This raised the water table which can help sustain plant and animal life during the dry seasons. Second, beavers also aide in purifying and controlling water through the filtration of silt from waters bodies, in which they live in. This leads to an increase in water purity and decreases the need for man-made filtration systems. Beaver’s can also serve as an “ecological indicator.” Their presence in an area can help determine if the ecosystem is healthy. This can help society save money as it is an ecosystem service. Beaver dams can also slow rushing flood waters. Some of the beneficial effects from dams are higher water tables, less erosion, and cleaner water. Beavers may also aid in containing forest fires through the conversion of streams into larger bodies of water; these can serve as both a water supply and fire line to firefighters.

Unfortunately, beavers have been endangered despite their immense importance in our environment. Beavers were once hunted to near extinction due to the value of their pelts, castoreum, and meat. Beavers were also negatively impacted by habitat loss through the drainage of wetlands, water pollution, and trapping. Due to this, the population of beavers has greatly decreased. The population decline in Beavers has damaged both the species and the environment. It is estimated that the North American Beaver population today is only 10 % of what existed before the European settlement. In 1988 the North American beaver population was 60-400 million but recent studies have estimated that there are now around 6-12 million beavers. If the Beaver population continues to decrease, many of the benefits we currently receive from them, such as water purification, dams, etc, will no longer be available. It is crucial to protect the beavers.

Image result for beaver population graph

Questions:
What are some things people can do to prevent beavers from becoming endangered?
What do you think will happen if the beavers, a keystone species, go extinct?
How do some of the ecosystem benefits that beavers provide help our society economically?

Sources:
http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/420/420-202/420-202.html
https://a-z-animals.com/animals/beaver/
https://apnm.org/what-we-do/promoting-coexistence-with-wildlife/beavers-belong/
https://thefurbearers.com/what-we-do/living-with-wildlife/beavers/about-beavers

Comments

Anonymous said…
I didn’t realize how important beavers were to the environment. I was aware that every single living thing is an ecosystem has a role, but I didn’t know how important the beaver’s role was in maintaining a healthy environment. One way that we could protect beavers from becoming extinct is to do what we did for the bison: set aside protected land to let the beavers flourish again in time. If we let the beavers go extinct, then it would mess up the balance and stability they provide to their ecosystem. Toxins and sediment wouldn’t be filtered out of the water before it drains into the oceans, which could wreck havoc in the ocean biome. There wouldn’t be a natural flood control, and there would be less biodiversity, making the ecosystem less resistant and resilient to change.
February 2, 2019 at 2:12 PM
Anonymous said…
Wow. I truly didn’t know that beavers are extremely important to the environment; their importance for the environment combined with their contributions that provide humans with resources makes it neccessary for us to help preserve the ecosystem and habitats of these creatures.Beavers have, and will likely continue to, help our environment, our economy, and our wellbeing in a number of ways. For examples, in Western states with drought, the places where beavers are being returned are seeing significant improvements. After all, beavers redistribute the water that falls down in to the landscape. Additionally, they change the landscape of waterbeds; streams can be deepened, and dams help raise water levels for the growth of vegetation. Ultimately, I believe that beavers are extremely helpful for the environment, and thus, if they were to go extinct,ecosystems around the nation (or perhaps the world) would be detrimentally affected.
February 2, 2019 at 2:43 PM
Anonymous said…
This was a great post! I never knew how large of an impact beaver populations had on ecosystems. They play a huge role in water storage, keeping water on the landscape longer, making it available for humans and animals. Since they are a keystone species, their extinction would disrupt the habitats of many animals and would increase rates of flooding. In turn this would lower the biodiversity of wetlands as birds, reptiles, and plant life would have trouble surviving in unfamiliar conditions. Thus, humans should take charge to protect beavers as they have a tremendous impact on our ecosystems.
February 2, 2019 at 2:45 PM
Anonymous said…
This was a very informative post! I had no idea beavers were so important to the environment. It seems they really do it all. Since they are a keystone species, it is imperative that we prevent their extinction. First and foremost, we should spread more information about the important services beavers provide the environment with and how human activity affects them. Educating people about current issues is always an important step in making changes. I also believe that the government should set aside land for the beavers to life on and create policies that prevent development in the wetlands the beavers live in. If the situation truly becomes dire, we may have to invest in a repopulation program to restore the beaver population.
February 3, 2019 at 10:12 AM
Anonymous said…
The endangerment of beavers is an extremely problematic issue in the environment. The reduction in their species population size has dramatic impacts on other aspects of the environment and the economy in products like pelts, castoreum, and meat, like you mentioned. In order to prevent their extinction, we need to prevent water pollution, which can help beavers and many other creatures directly and indirectly. Deforestation also contributes to the beaver extinction, since wood is a vital resource for them. If they go extinct, we will likely see many unforeseen consequences as well as predicted ones like water purification and natural damming disappearing.
February 3, 2019 at 10:05 PM
Anonymous said…
For some reason, I always thought the decline in beaver was due to the pre-20th century hunting. But once again, it turns out habitat loss is truly a catastrophic threat to wildlife. Even with the impacts becoming more obvious, we continue to deforest and drain wetlands on a massive scale. Perhaps decreasing consumption of food will help, as a large reason habitat loss happens on such a large scale is for agriculture. In the end, beavers will either prosper or die by our hands.
February 4, 2019 at 6:12 AM
Anonymous said…
Such instance is where we see how a small or large influence due to humans may directly harm how and where animals live. Despite its beneficial factors, dams essentially destruct natural habitats for the sake of our usage of water resources, reducing the chance that the animals will be safe and secured. One viable solution to our two goals, saving beavers and gaining access to water resources, can be constructing a dam where all of its components are formed of nature-friendly particles.
February 4, 2019 at 6:13 AM
Anonymous said…
Your post was very insightful! In today’s age we seem to always be trying to fix environmental problems, but the best way it seems to help is by letting ecological systems take care of themselves in the first place, by not endangering species to the point of extinction. As you said, beavers are a keystone species that even we depend upon for regulating services and protecting biomes, such as the wetlands. One of the best ways we could protect beavers is by not disturbing their habitats or hunting them to such extremes. Beavers are so important, even to us, that we need to try our best to allow them to flourish and do what they need to do to keep ecosystems healthy.
February 4, 2019 at 6:55 AM
Anonymous said…
I knew that beavers were important, but I had no idea how important they were. Beavers being a keystone species in not only controlling the flow of water but also purifying the water is amazing. Beavers may be destructive and hurtful in some cases, but they have benefits that are unforeseen by a lot of people, and our overhunting of this crucial species worries me. If these trends continue, and I hope they don’t for the benefit of all endangered animals, I hope that we can lessen these hunting numbers and protect Beaver numbers.
February 4, 2019 at 7:42 AM
Anonymous said…
I never would have thought that beavers could be so important to the environment! I looked more into how beavers became endangered and were nearly hunted to extinction and found that in North America when the first European traders and trappers arrived, there were as many as 400 million beavers living on the continent. The French primarily made a business out of trapping beavers and profiting from their fur, in fact, the fur trade was one of their main industries. By 1900, there were only 100,000 beavers left! This shows the extent to how heavily they were hunted and how close they came to extinction. Thankfully, over the past few years, people have realized how beneficial beavers really are to the environment and that they need to be protected.
February 4, 2019 at 7:45 AM
Anonymous said…
Yes I second this post. When most of us think of the slow decline of species, we tend to blame it on early hunting and poaching of such animals. However, we don’t think of the more impactful things that lead to their disappearance such as the change of their habitats due to humans. Hopefully, many others will soon come to learn of the importance our daily lives have on the environment as a whole.
February 4, 2019 at 8:13 AM
Anonymous said…
Yes I second this post. When most of us think of the slow decline of species, we tend to blame it on early hunting and poaching of such animals. However, we don’t think of the more impactful things that lead to their disappearance such as the change of their habitats due to humans. Hopefully, many others will soon come to learn of the importance our daily lives have on the environment as a whole.
February 4, 2019 at 8:13 AM
Anonymous said…
Another way to help keep these precious animals from becoming extinct always starts with education. It is important that we stay informed and inform others about the crucial function of beavers. Just from reading this article, I was given a different perspective, so imagine what it would do for others. Many people simply don’t know what effects that they Arcada heaving on nature as a whole, a different they were explained, it might lead them to make better decisions. Also, although the main issue for the beavers is hunting, it doesn’t hurt to keep pollution to a minimum and work to have less of an ecological footprint.
February 4, 2019 at 10:01 AM
Anonymous said…
I agree that taking steps to preserve the beaver population is very important. Setting land aside is a great idea to do this - especially as beavers can cause harm to human structures. Beaver dams can actually cause flooding, which can wipe out land that farmers need for crops or livestock. In fact, experts estimated that the U.S. timber industry suffered more than $22 million in damage in a single year due to flooding caused by these dams. This flooding can also endanger public safety by saturating the soil and making roads unstable. Also, beavers, with their sharp teeth, can chew through valuable, rare or important trees, and felled trees can pose a hazard to utility lines and buildings. For these reasons, governmental agencies should come up with environmentally-responsible methods of beaver dam control.
February 4, 2019 at 12:42 PM
Anonymous said…
Oh no, the chart that you included really concerns me. I had never considered how important beavers are until reading this. The beaver is an irreplaceable keystone species, for many reasons that you have already mentioned. As beavers build dams, they create wetlands, attracting, fish, ducks, and amphibians to the area, and the biodiversity increases. According to my online research, they consume various trees and shrubbery, and provide prey for other mammals like coyotes, foxes, and bobcats. Many farmers and landowners get upset when they chomp on their trees, but the benefits that beavers offer far outweigh any damage that they do to our backyards.
February 4, 2019 at 4:49 PM
Anonymous said…
That was a very interesting post! I never realized that beavers were a keystone species, let alone did I realize their tremendous impact on human life! If beavers were to go extinct, entire river ecosystems could become completely disrupted, and waters could become less safe to live in. Additionally, the extinction of beavers would negatively effect human economy by forcing us to invest more heavily in man-made filtration systems: an extraneous cost. To aid in preventing the extinction of beavers, we can work to educate: many people think that beavers building dams is the cause of destruction in natural habitats, but few realize beavers’ important role in ecosystems. If we work to educate people on beavers’ vital role in the wild, we may be able to save the beavers.
February 4, 2019 at 4:57 PM
Anonymous said…
It is crazy to think that these cute teeny beavers play such a big role in our environment. I never realized beavers were considered a keystone species. Upon my own research I found that beavers weigh up to 60 pounds on average and are North Americas largest rodent. Beavers are referred to as ecosystem engineers because of all they do for the environment. When beavers make dams, the dam slows the flow of water, and a pond or form of wetland is created. Almost 85% of all American wildlife rely on these wetlands to survive. These wetlands slow runoff of rain as well. Without wetlands, there would be no accumulated wetlands. Beavers play an essential role in the ecosystem. Without beavers there would be a lack of wetlands, which would lead to the depletion of sources for many North American Animals, and therefore many other animals extinction.
February 4, 2019 at 8:46 PM
Anonymous said…
First off, this is a great blog post! It is a strange thought, thinking about how one animal could play such a significant role in our lives. This I’ve always thought that beavers were interesting little animals, sorta out there when it comes to usefulness, but I guess they have impacts far beyond what we can immeadiately see. What I find most fascinating is their critical role in preserving the existence of wetlands, and how we have the responsibility to keep their habitat viable.
February 5, 2019 at 6:01 AM
Anonymous said…
This was a very informative blog post. I had no idea that the beaver played such a vital role in our environment. I think the first step needed to protect the beavers is to outlaw the hunting of beavers and to legally protect their habitats. Critics may argue that it is economically disadvantageous to protect a section of the environment that could be turned into resources, however, the economic services that beavers provide far outweigh the immediate payoff of liquidation. Protecting beavers is in the best interest of the environment and the economy.
February 5, 2019 at 5:56 PM
Anonymous said…
Thank you for informing us on the impact and endangerment of beavers, I had no idea just how important the beavers are to our environment. For example, I was surprised to learn that beavers can have an impact on both the environment and the economy, by creating water purification and natural damming systems. As you said, the population of beavers must be protected in order to stop extinction, and this can be done in many ways. For example, we can attempt to prevent water population and deforestation.
February 5, 2019 at 6:34 PM
Anonymous said…
Another example of a keystone species is sea otters. They are considered a keystone species because of their critical importance to the health and stability of the nearshore marine ecosystem. stability of the nearshore marine ecosystem. They eat sea urchins and other invertebrates that graze on giant kelp. Without sea otters, these grazing animals can destroy kelp forests and consequently the wide diversity of animals that depend upon kelp habitat for survival. Additionally, kelp forests protect coastlines from storm surge and absorb vast amounts of harmful carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Sea otters are also considered a sentinel species because their health reflects that of California’s coastal waters.
February 6, 2019 at 6:27 PM
Anonymous said…
I find your blog very fascinating! I did some further research on the effects of beavers on their enviornment. Thier key importance in building a dams is to slow down the flow of water, and by slowing the flow of water helps to store water in these lands for longer for animals and humans to use. The slowed water flow also helps to keep the species in these bodies of water safe, as fast paced waters can lead to younger species to be swept away in such fast rapids. Not only are these beavers a cute sight, but thye provide so much for the enviornment.
February 6, 2019 at 8:25 PM
Anonymous said…
This was such an interesting and eye opening post! I neverr realized the significant impacts of the beavers’ presence in our environment. While there are several direct actions we can take for their preservation, I think one of the main solutions is simply education and raising awareness. Beavers are not as greatly advocated for as other endangered animals, if more people knew about the beavers presence as a keystone species and the devastating events their extinction cold have on our environment, there would definitely be more organizations and overall awareness concerning beaver preservation.
February 7, 2019 at 9:04 PM
Anonymous said…
I never realized just how important beavers were to their ecosystem. However, your post informed me about the importance of beavers, as they are a keystone species. I find it extremely concerning that beaver numbers are on such a huge decline, as their existence is paramount to the survival of the marine ecosystem. In my opinion, their definitely needs to be steps taken to protect beaver numbers from dwindling further. An example of such a step would be for the government to enact laws that makes it illegal to hunt beavers. Such a law could prevent human interference in the beaver’s ecosystem and begin to raise up the beaver population.
February 7, 2019 at 9:10 PM
Anonymous said…
Beavers, as you indicated, are very beneficial to ecosystems and humans. The dams they create help control floods, cleanse toxins, and remove pesticides from the water. This resultantly leads to higher biodiversity. But more notably these beaver-engineered dams protect communities near fresh bodies of water and farmers. Humans and beavers share a mutualistic relationship in a sense. By creating fertile landscapes and protecting communities, the benefits beavers offer outweigh the costs, and efforts should be taken to educate people on the importance of beavers.
February 8, 2019 at 7:15 AM
Anonymous said…

I agree, I was very surprised to learn about how important beavers are to the environment. I also didn’t realize how much they were being impacted by humans such as overhunting and deforestation. Beavers are in high demand for their pelts which are used clothes, shoes, hats etc. Beaver-pelt hats were very popular a few hundred years ago and coveted by the Native Americans and the French to be used for trade since it was quite valuable. This high demand and profitable market unfortunately led to the depletion of the beaver population.
February 8, 2019 at 3:55 PM
Anonymous said…
It never occurred to me how much an animal like beavers benefit the world we live in. Many people, including myself, tend to underestimate a lot of animals and their importance and role in our environment. It’s worrying that beaver populations are declining, as the dams they build are extremely important in an ecosystem.
February 8, 2019 at 8:32 PM
Anonymous said…
I was also never aware, like many of my peers, that beavers played such a crucial role to their habitats, and the world we live in. It is extremely beneficial to now be educated as to the worth of these awesome animals! We should all work to educate others about the importance of beavers in order to save them and their habitats. Especially since beavers can economically benefit us as well.
February 9, 2019 at 12:24 PM
Anonymous said…
I agree as well; if everyone understood more about how beavers and their dams greatly contribute to the purifying and controlling of water in wetland ecosystems, we can form more conscious thoughts about what we are doing and our effect on the environment. Educating people about the impact of beavers on the environment in this way would greatly benefit the beaver population. Going along with Mali's comment, I think the most plausible and effective measure we can take is to set aside land for the beavers to minimize human interference. However, taking Raashi's comment into account, humans can also benefit from living in separate environments from beavers, with neither species affecting the other.
February 10, 2019 at 2:06 PM
Anonymous said…
I think that it is fascinating how beavers act the “engineers” for the environment! I think that since they are a keystone species, beavers play a critical role for the fitness of other species in their ecosystem. Beavers contribute to the maintenance of fertile landscapes that provide intrinsic and essential value to humans. That is why is is important for people to be educated about the benefits Gotham beavers provide for the environment, and for our lifestyles.
February 11, 2019 at 7:27 AM
Cathy Kim said…
I really enjoyed reading your post! It was enlightening that a cute animal such as a beaver would play such a crucial role in the environment. I feel that often times the importance of beavers goes overlooked and people should be educated more on the impact they play. It's disheartening to learn that the beaver species is declining and something must be done.
February 19, 2019 at 7:52 PM
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