Dam good news … how bringing back beavers could help protect the planet

BRINGING back animals such as beavers and giant tortoises could help stop climate change, flooding and forest fires, according to research.

A study looking at the impact of reintroducing wild animals to where they once belonged has found that doing so can help damaged habitats recover.

The earth lost 58 per cent of amphibians, fish, reptiles, mammals and birds between 1970 and 2012, according to the Zoological Society of London. But experts at the University of Stirling say ‘rewilding’ represents a ‘narrative of hope’ that can reverse the downward trend. They found that the reintroduction of beavers in Sweden boosted wildlife, creating ‘ponds’ with dams made from trees and branches.

The research, published in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, found 15 per cent more plant species in areas with beaver ponds compared to wetlands where beavers – which are also being reintroduced in Britain – were not present.

Meanwhile, reintroducing giant tortoises on Indian Ocean islands helped distribute seeds and nutrients.