The potential contribution of beavers
as partners in helping to mitigate the
impacts of climate change, and other
environmental problems, such as the
rising rate of species extinction, is
considerable. Dam building by beavers
(Table 1) naturally and economically
restores freshwater wetlands, which
have been rated as the world’s most
valuable terrestrial ecosystem in terms of
natural services (Costanza et al. 1997).
Such services include providing water
storage, climate regulation, and wildlife
habitat. One species that demonstrates
the restorative potential of beavers is thew