The general opinion about beavers is that being a part of the family of rodents, they do nothing but create ruckus in our surroundings. Still, the reports in the magazine ScienceNews tell that the animal species was on the verge of extinction in 20th century. The reason was their hunting for their thick fur and skin, used for making hats.
Beavers presently however are not endangered and this does not mean that their sole use was only for commodities like hats and furs. Beavers very important for our environment. They do not only help flora and fauna in one way or the other, but also help human beings, solving many environmental problems.
Science writer, Ben Goldfarb, tells in his book Eager, certain advantages of Beavers to the environment. Some of them are as follows:
• ***** dams do a lot of things just than stopping water. Structures built by them provide shelters to various animals and birds. They also act as food storages.
• The water stored due to dams turns into swamps and wetlands, giving rise to a diverse range of wildlife, which contributes to the ecosystem.
• Beavers, as Goldfarb tells in Eager, can help landowners in dealing with droughts and floods.
• They become home to fishes like salmon which have economic importance in many regions.
• Beavers are helpful in diminishing climate changes by trapping in their built structures, pollutants, excess nutrients, and carbon contents.