3.1.2.1 Ecosystems - Changing Ecosystems: UK Beaver Re-introduction Case Study

Question 1

Where are beavers being re-introduced and after how long?

Answer 1

beavers being re-introduced in Exmoor after 400 years

Question 2

Why were beavers hunted to extinction in the UK?

Answer 2

for their fur, meat and custodian

Question 3

What are the benefits of re-introducing beavers to Exmoor?

Answer 3

• increase in biodiversity
• habitat creation, their dams change flow creating new habitats for amphibians and fish
• 30% more fish in areas with beaver dams
• Less chance of flooding as beaver dams built upstream
• They create wetlands which store C , 30% of the worlds C stored in wetlands
• Beavers can bring tourists as people may want to view the new habitats created improving economy

Question 4

What are the negatives of re-introducing beavers to Exmoor?

Answer 4

• dams built downstream cause flooding in urban areas and farms
• difficult to canoe and kayak
• beaver dams make it harder for migrating fish to move upstream e.g. salmon, eel
• beavers cut down trees and each year cut down larger trees having an economic impact on people who use trees to earn money

Question 5

How can the negatives of re-introducing beavers to Exmoor be overcome?

Answer 5

• introduce beavers in upstream, isolated areas
• beaver deceivers – pipes that all people to drain water without beavers noticing
• fish and beavers have coexisted for 1000s of years and a problem is only caused when the water levels are very low

Question 6

What are the immediate effects of re-introducing beavers to Exmoor?

Answer 6

• chopping tree’s for dams
• gnawing trees and collecting vegetation to build dams
• construction of dams allow deep pools of water which offer animals shelter from predators and a place to store food
• instant creation of habitat e.g. wetlands
• beavers build first Exmoor dam after 400 years
• natural flood defences

Question 7

What are the long-term effects of re-introducing beavers to Exmoor?

Answer 7

• natural flood defences – help to reduce risks of flooding downstream
• increase in biodiversity
• increase in species further down the food chain
• changing weather patterns
• increasing wetlands which store C reducin the amount of C (which is a greenhouse gas) in the atmosphere and therefore reducing the effects of climate change