According to a recent study published by the United States Agency for Ocean and Atmospheric Observation (NOAA), the beaver is now colonizing arctic territories modifying the ecosystems of the Far North.
Scientists from a team from the Arctic Beaver Observation Network (A-BON) used satellite imagery to locate rodent movements in the arctic tundra of Alaska and Canada.
More than 12,000 beaver ponds have so far been mapped in western Alaska, with most areas having doubled in the past 20 years. In comparison, analysis of aerial photographs of coastal areas of western Alaska between 1949 and 1955 found no beaver ponds.
It should be remembered that according to an Environment Canada report, Canada is warming, on average, at a rate twice as high as the rest of the planet, and the north of the country is warming even more rapidly.
Whether their northward expansion is entirely due to climate change or increased populations following historic reductions in beaver trapping for fur and food, or a combination of the two, is not entirely clear. , but we know that beavers have a significant impact on the ecosystems they colonize.US Agency for Ocean and Atmospheric Observation
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Mapping of ponds in Canada is currently being carried out by the team of scientists, says zoologist Helen Wheeler who is leading research in the Mackenzie Delta in the Northwest Territories.
“The true impact of the spread of beavers on the environment and the native communities that live there is not yet fully understood,” she said. “However, we do know that people are concerned about the impact of beaver dams on water quality, the number of fish downstream of the dams and access for their boats. “
In western Alaska, observations have shown that beavers are the dominant factor in almost two-thirds (66%) of cases where surface water has increased. The researchers note that these new ponds can also lead to the introduction of other new species, including fish and invertebrates.
The beaver (Castor canadensis) is considered a “key species” capable of changing landscapes by creating new ponds and diverting the course of rivers. “Ponds created by beaver dams increase surface water, which in the Arctic melts permafrost, in turn releasing greenhouse gases, methane and carbon dioxide,” perhaps we read in the study.
The abundance of vegetation, especially woody trees and shrubs, appears to help rodents thrive in previously inhospitable terrain, the paper explains, adding that researchers have also found beaver lodges at increasingly higher elevations. high, including above the tree line.
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