engleski

LIVING SPACE AND CHANGES HABITAT CONDITIONS - FOR THE BENEFIT OF ONESELF AND OTHERS

The role of the beaver, as the greatest builder in nature, is especially evident in the preservation of aquatic and wetland habitats. Today, when many watercourses have been turned into canals and often lined with stone or concrete, it is extremely useful to preserve or create natural wetland habitats, which the beaver does well. In Croatia, with numerous rivers and streams, the increase of the beaver population has resulted in numerous beaver dams and accumulation lakes are formed, which the flora and fauna of wet habitats subsequently re-inhabit. Thousands of dams and dam systems, created in recent years throughout Croatia, have created new habitat conditions, both on natural watercourses and on regulated channels. The beaver demonstrates skill in construction that results the emergence of new deficient ecosystems. The example of one locality, which has been researched and mapped in detail, results in a system of 13 dams, three of which are large, and 10 smaller auxiliary dams. The study area consists of four accumulation lakes and two large beaver lodges. In total, the beavers installed 100 m3 of material. Numerous species of fauna and flora, characteristic of aquatic ecosystems, have been recorded in the lakes. Significant amounts of sediment material in the lakes stand out, which creates a fertile base for wetland vegetation. The importance of the accumulated water in the lakes came to the fore in the summer during the dry season. The constant presence of elevated water levels in the lakes had a negative impact only on older black alder trees, where these trees dried up.

beaver, beavers dam, wetland habitats, game species

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