The Arctic is a rapidly changing region, due to global warming which is modifying its landscape and biodiversity. Among the species that are colonizing new territories, one in particular is attracting the attention of scientists: Arctic beavers, or North American beavers.
This rodent, known for its building habits, is creating thousands of ponds along tundra waterways, with both positive and negative effects for the ecosystem and local communities.
The Arctic beaver boom
Arctic beavers, also known as the North American beaver (Castor canadensis), is native to North AmericaWhere lives in wooded and marshy areas, and feeds on bark, leaves and roots of trees and shrubs; it builds dams and huts along rivers and lakes, creating artificial ponds in which it takes refuge and reproduces.
For a long time, Arctic beavers have been hunted and trapped by humans for their own sake fine fur and for the castoreumone substance secreted by its glands that has uses in medicine and perfumery. This pressure has led to a drastic reduction in the Arctic beaver population, which has been estimated at approximately 60 million individuals before the arrival of Europeans in Americait's at less than 10 million at the end of the 19th century.
However, during the 20th century, Arctic cators benefited from protection and reintroduction measures, which allowed the species to recover and expand to new areas.
The Arctic is a region that extends around the North Pole, characterized by a cold climate and a landscape dominated by permafrost, the ground being permanently frozen, the vegetation is sparse and mainly composed of mosses, lichens and low shrubs.
The fauna is adapted to survive in extreme conditions, and includes mammals such as the polar bear, arctic fox, lemming, caribou and musk ox, and birds such as the snowy owl, snow goose and golden plover .
In this scenario, Arctic beavers seem out of place, yet in recent decades, the rodent has begun to move further and further north, exploiting the heating global that has made the climate milder and the vegetation more luxuriantamong other things, Arctic beavers have found less competition and predation from other species, such as wolves and bears, which are rarer in the Arctic.
Scientists have documented the presence of Arctic beavers in different areas of the Arcticas AlaskaThe Canadathe Greenlandthe Scandinavia and the Russiawith the exact number of animals being difficult to estimate, but thought to be at least hundreds of thousands.
The easiest way to spot Arctic beavers is to look at the ponds they create, which are also visible from satellite images. According to a study by the University of Alaska, the number of ponds created by Arctic beavers along the waterways of Alaska's Arctic tundra is doubled in the last 20 yearsreaching at least 12,000.
Other studies have found a similar increase in other Arctic regions.
The effects of beaver ponds
The creation of ponds by Arctic beavers has some both positive and negative consequences for the Arctic. On the one hand, ponds provide a habitat and food source for many other species, such as amphibians, fish, insects, birds and mammals, and they also encourage the growth of aquatic and marsh plants, which increase biodiversity and carbon sequestration. .
Without forgetting that they can help mitigate the effects of droughtwhich is an increasingly frequent problem in the Arctic due to climate change.
On the other hand, beaver ponds also have gods negative impacts. First, ponds flood and destroy existing vegetation, which can be important for other species, such as caribou, which feed on lichens, and they also impede the flow of water, which can cause problems downstream, such as reduced water flow. availability of fresh water for human and animal communities.
Finally, the ponds accelerate the melting of permafrostwhich releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.
This latter effect has been demonstrated by a study from the University of Alaskawhich analyzed infrared images captured by NASA aircraft in an area of northwestern Alaska.
The study showed that beaver ponds are associated with methane hot spots, extending tens of meters around the ponds. The methane comes from melting permafrost, which is caused by warmer water in ponds, and in turn, increases the greenhouse effect, which further warms the climate and encourages the colonization of more beavers.
It is therefore a positive feedback loop, which could have repercussions on a global level.
What to do with Arctic beavers?
The presence of beavers in the Arctic poses questions and challenges for scientists, environmental managers and local communities. On one side, beavers are a native species of North America, which has the right to explore and occupy new territoriesespecially after having suffered strong persecution from man.
What's more, beavers they are ecological engineerswhich create and modify the ecosystems in which they live, with both positive and negative effectswhich depend on the point of view and interests of those who observe them.
On the other side, beavers are also an invasive specieswhich is profoundly altering the landscape and biodiversity of the Arctic, with consequences that are still largely unknown and potentially dangerous, without forgetting that beavers are a source of conflict with human populations, who see their ponds as a threat for their activities and resources, such as fishing, hunting, transportation and water supply.< /p>
The question of arctic beavers does not have an easy or single answer. It is necessary to monitor and study the phenomenon, to better understand what the effects of beaver ponds are on the Arctic and global climate.
It is also important to involve and listen to the local communities, who are the most affected by the impacts of beavers and who have a thousand-year-old knowledge and culture of the territory, and it is appropriate to evaluate the possible management options, which can range from tolerance to prevention, for mitigation and control.
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