Biodiversity in - Climate - Change

Dr Lutz Dalbeck (BioStation Düren-Nideggen)

After beavers were almost wiped out worldwide, they are returning to their native habitats in many regions of Europe thanks to extensive conservation measures.

As ecosystem engineers, they shape bodies of water and entire landscapes according to their own requirements. In doing so, they challenge our ideas of what natural watercourses look like when they dam streams into cascading ponds with countless beaver dams, cut down shady trees along the banks and dig channels to float timber.

But what impact does this have on nature and biodiversity? What effects does this have on the water balance and the discharge behaviour of water bodies? What opportunities do beavers offer against the backdrop of a changing world?

The lecture addresses these questions on the basis of our own investigations in the northern Eifel and current studies using examples.

Photo: Beaver lodge © L. Dalbeck