International Beavers Day – Beavers in the Forth

It’s International Beaver Day and Forth Rivers Trust’s Ecologist Jack Wootton was out on the River Teith earlier in March, monitoring the beaver population. Though no beavers were seen on the day it was obvious that they were not far away…

Walking along the banks of the Teith highlight some agricultural influences from agro-runoff and erosion to cattle poaching. But in areas that are influenced by the beavers you see a transformation of bankside habitat. Natural wetland is seamlessly stitched into the riparian zone. Wildlife is concentrated in much higher densities in these wetlands and if you sit for long enough you’ll see it come alive.

Beaver provide us with ecosystem services such as water storage and flood prevention, water purification, habitat restoration and increase biodiversity. This is not to say they cannot cause us some issues, though through management of the species the pros hugely outweigh the cons.

The pictures below highlight the extreme influence beavers can have on our rivers. It is interesting to note that the sediment gathered by the dams is packed with seeds ready to root and strengthen banksides. As well as this the willow that has been used in areas of the dam is still living and will act as willow spiling.

Our science team monitor a range of water based animals and plans, beavers being one so we can identify how ecosystems work here in the Forth with the many pressures they face.

#internationalbeaverday #beavers #wildlife #wildlifemonitoring #scienceweek