Streets in London’s West End flood every year due to heavy rain: local council planned to spend millions to fix the problem, but Beavers solved it for free

no more flooding

Earlier, communities were regularly flooded and people often used sandbags to make way.

Beavers are amazing natural engineers. Their strong teeth are reinforced with iron and have a distinctive orange color, and can gouge through sticks and trees. They eat bark and use the wood to build dams, creating natural reservoirs. In Paradise Fields, the rodents immediately went to work, redesigning the landscape around Greenland with a series of dams, creating a new lake almost overnight. They even tore down an old dam built by volunteers and replaced it with a better one of their own. Incredibly, they still found time to breed, giving birth to pups within a year of arrival.The project shows Greenford station, downstream from the Paradise Fields animal wetland home, has had no flooding for three years since they moved in. During heavy downpours, beavers slow the flow of water and create wetlands that block the flow, relieving pressure on downstream drainage systems. These pools provide beavers with shelter from predators. For humans, they provide natural flood protection.Earlier, it took minutes for river water to flow through the system and into the metro station, but now it seeps into a series of dams and complex wetlands created by them. McCormack told the BBC: “When we get heavy rainfall, they slow down the water flow. They also sink the water underground because the ground here is wetter, even the ground around the river is wetter, and they are creating these complex wetlands that basically absorb the water and hold it there longer.”“I couldn’t believe how much they had done in a short period of time, they were basically saying ‘Humans, get out of the way’,” Şeniz Mustafa, the UK’s first urban beaver officer who witnessed the animals’ handiwork, told Positive News. Definitely making things a little difficult for ourselves. This shows that we don’t have to use heavy machinery or build infrastructure, nature can do it. “

improve biodiversity

Beavers not only alleviate flooding but also promote biodiversity in the area. “In the last 11 months alone, we’ve discovered four new species. One of them is the stickleback, which lives alongside dragonflies and damselflies. We also have the red-roded bird, which is a bird that only really stops when it’s migrating,” Mustafa said.14 different species of butterflies, tadpoles, freshwater shrimp, toads, two new bat species and more appear. “It’s interesting to see how other wildlife recolonizes and returns to a space.”They also provide protection against extreme weather. The wetlands they create are useful during droughts because water can seep into surrounding dry areas. Additionally, they protect against wildfires because the land is essentially too wet to burn.

Ealing welcomes Beaver

Beavers cannot be released anywhere. They need enough food, water and space to build their wetland homes. Humans near the site must also be receptive to the animals, and contingency plans need to be in place in case they get too close to human infrastructure. They can cause problems for farmers and landowners because the tunnels they dig can be large enough to trap cattle and machinery. But the Ealing community has been receptive.According to CNN, a dozen people approached McCormack to inquire about the beaver sightings, while the men sat on a bench enjoying drinks and observing the beavers. Wildlife enthusiasts have even embarked on “beaver safaris”. “We’re here to show that actually living with beavers isn’t such a crazy idea,” McCormack added.

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beaver reintroductionBeavers as ecosystem engineerscity ​​beaver officialEaling Beaver ProjectEaling CouncilFlooding in west LondongreenfordGreenford tube station floodingnature-based solutionsparadise fields