Beaver blitz: Nature's architects save $1.2M in Czech project
A colony of beavers in the Brdy region of the Czech Republic gained unexpected popularity when it built a dam in just two days, completing a project that local authorities had planned for seven years. The beavers' operation without bureaucracy or formalities saved the administration over $1,200,000.
The Administration of the Brdy Protected Landscape Area in the Czech Republic had long been trying to obtain the necessary permits for a wetland revitalization project. The project, valued at 30 million korunas (over $1,200,000), aimed to improve environmental conditions, but the local beaver colony unexpectedly realized these plans.
According to Radio Prague International, the beavers turned out to be the unexpected heroes of the situation, quickly and effectively executing a project that people had been unable to complete for a long time. The beavers built dams on the bypass canyon many years ago by soldiers at a former military base.
The construction aimed to drain the land, and the revitalization project aimed to restore this area to its natural state. Bohumil Fišer, head of the Administration of the Brdy Protected Landscape Area, noted that nature demonstrated remarkable initiative.
- The beavers created the necessary biotope conditions practically overnight. The Military Forestry Directorate and the Vltava River Basin had been negotiating the implementation of the project and resolving land ownership issues. The beavers surpassed them, saving us 30 million korunas. They built the dams without any project documentation and at no cost – Fišer told Radio Prague International.
The construction was planned for 7 years. Beavers built the dam in 2 days
Zoologist Jiří Vlček added that the local administration cannot compete with such beaver activities. Beavers can build a dam in one or two nights. Meanwhile, people have to obtain construction permits, approve a building project, and find the money for it, Vlček noted.
Ecologists who monitored the entire situation emphasize that the beavers' actions have significantly improved environmental conditions. The wetlands and water pools they create will serve as excellent habitats for rare species such as stone crayfish, frogs, and other organisms that thrive in wetlands.
Beavers always know best. The places where they build dams are always chosen correctly, better than when we design them on paper - said Jaroslav Obermajer, head of the Central Bohemian office of the Czech Agency for Nature Conservation and Landscape Protection, quoted by Radio Prague International.
