Experts thrilled after creature returns from 400-year-long absence: 'What you should start to see is the impact that they're having'
Two Eurasian beavers have returned after 400 years of absence, as the BBC reported. The beavers were released in an enclosed nature reserve in Shrewsbury, England. Conservationists in the United Kingdom hope that the beavers can help restore the natural wetlands of Old River Bed. The goal is to improve the area's biodiversity and heal from years of habitat loss.
Beavers are keystone species that act as nature's engineers. Their innate ability to slow down water flow is critical in preventing flooding. Beavers build dams that turn into ponds. As time passes, the ponds turn into wetlands. These marshes are the natural habitat of birds, fish, and amphibians.
The newly homed beavers are part of a bigger movement in the U.K. For many years, conservation groups and wildlife organizations reintroduced beavers to different areas in England. A pair of beavers was recently rehomed in South Downs National Park to revive a critical wetland. Scientists hope that the beavers can improve the quality and quantity of the wetlands.
In a similar initiative 15 years ago, beavers were released in a Knapdale rainforest in Scotland. The area is now bearing the fruits of the beavers' labor. Water voles, once endangered, are flourishing, thanks to these beavers.
Conservation experts are similarly hopeful, and wildlife organizations are eager to track the beavers' impact over time.
"I think having them in Shrewsbury is really exciting because it's an urban site, it's a site with housing on both sides, and it gives us an opportunity to give people the chance to interact with the beavers and see what they do on a local level," Tom Freeland, head of nature reserves at Shropshire Wildlife Trust, told BBC Radio Shropshire.
Freeland added: "But what you should start to see is the impact that they're having."
Someday, beavers may have offspring in the enclosure, as there is ample space to support their growth.
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