As global warming worsens droughts, floods and wildfires around the world, scientists in the American West are turning to beavers to help reverse some of the damage.
Scientists at Utah’s Boise State University and Utah State University are using satellite data to identify streams where once-eradicated beavers could be reintroduced to promote vegetation growth. They also documented changes in water abundance and vegetation around streams — indicators of environmental health — after the beavers returned.
“The real value of using satellite data for monitoring is having people on the ground working hard and implementing things like increasing water supplies and increasing habitat for fish and species,” said a team led by Boise State University associate professor Jodi Brandt. “Satellite data to quantify beavers’ impact on local ecosystems,” says a report NASA’s previous statement. “The more support we give them, the more broadly these practices can be promoted.”
related: Researchers study how rocket noise affects endangered wildlife
One says beavers are ‘furry weapons for adapting to climate change’ New York Times article. They have a natural tendency to build dams on rivers and streams as a form of protection against predators such as bears, mountain lions and wolves. The dams, which are made from materials sourced from trees, branches, twigs, rocks and grass cut by beaver teeth, slow water that would otherwise surge into the area, according to the agency. national park service. The resulting pools created by the dam provide a safe haven for beavers to build oven-like nests, while also encouraging the growth of green vegetation – which, in turn, reduces the risk of forest fires and mitigates the risk of increasingly severe droughts and floods. Influence.
Until the late 1800s, beavers were common in lakes, streams, and swamps across North America. However, unregulated trapping due to new demand for beaver pelts has reduced the beaver population from 400 million in the 1600s to 10 to 15 million today, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
In response to declining beaver populations, a handful of U.S. states, including California, Idaho and Utah, have recently launched large-scale beaver restoration programs. Sure enough, data from NASA satellites showed that areas where beavers had been reintroduced had denser green vegetation than areas where beaver populations were limited. For example, a stream near Preston, Idaho, now has an increased flow of 40 days a year due to the creation of more than 200 beaver dams after ranchers began rewilding beavers, according to a previous NASA statement.
“Before beaver capture, beaver dams were pretty much everywhere in the West. So what we’re trying to do is try to get the density of beaver dams back to historical levels as much as possible,” he said. “By doing this, we are building important drought resilience and restoring riverine areas.”
The online Beaver Recovery Assessment Tool (BRAT) uses data from NASA’s Landsat and European Sentinel satellites to discover restoration sites that would best benefit from beaver-led reintroductions. The tool takes into account available trees that beavers can use to build dams, thereby increasing water flow, vegetation and supporting local human infrastructure. Once researchers select a site, they make the area more hospitable to beaver families by building temporary beaver dam-like structures to attract beavers.
Using satellite data, Brandt said in a recent report, researchers can not only initiate decades-long restoration efforts but also monitor the results over time, something that is often underfunded. NASA statement. She noted that satellite data can also provide empirical evidence of restoration efforts that can be used to increase funding and support from federal agencies, conservation groups, land trusts and other businesses.
“This is what applied science is about – giving users everything they need to make environmental decisions,” Cindy Schmidt, associate program manager for NASA’s ecological conservation efforts, said in a statement. “The future of our planet depends on these commercial partners. Work with us in a more sustainable way. ”
#Satellite #data #shows #beavers #helping #fight #climate #change
Image Source : www.space.com