Beavers May Reduce Impact of Heatwaves in Drought-Hit Areas in Britain

The UK government has said that it has lost 90 percent of its wetlands over the past 100 years, which has led to deforestation and a drastic decline in wildlife. The situation has also made the country more vulnerable to extreme weather conditions.

Beavers might give a helping hand - or a helping paw - to drought-hit Britain by building dams that maintain wetland areas, according to the Daily Star.

Citing wildlife experts, the report said that although the countryside has been drying up due to the lack of rain, areas where beavers have been introduced have "continued to thrive."

The rodent species was once native to Britain, but went extinct in the 16th century when hunters killed them as vermin and for their meat, fur, and pelts. The National Trust's Holnicote Estate in Somerset reintroduced beavers in 2020.

“It is stunning. It’s like a lost world. It feels almost like Jurassic Park – different from anywhere else on the estate," the National Trust’s Holnicote manager Ben Eardley said, as cited by the outlet. "They’ve created additional ponds and wet woodland, wetland, and it’s still absolutely brimful of water because they impound it.”

Now, beavers might give the UK a chance to survive the drought caused by July's extreme heatwave that saw temperatures surpassing 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).

Following the severe heatwave, a drought was declared in 14 regions of the country, with farmers calling for a ban on hosepipes to save water.