It’s Saturday and times are tough so lets all go to the movies. This time with our stalwart and patient guide Carol Evans the retired BLM fisheries biologist who co-produced this film. I love everything about this joyfully long-view patient approach that allows the land and the cattle to benefit from dedicated collaboration.
So glad to learn yesterday that Extended Roots will be joining us this year for the festival. Thanks ladies!
In Chicago recently a not-at-all-large adult beaver made a stir by choosing to be captured in film and posted on Reddit by Urban Rivers. So of course they are having a naming contest. Fortunately no Justin’s in the running. I just wish that instead of saying the beaver might be pregnant she responded to his question about the population growing by saying that beavers only reproduce once a year.
This was the fun little study making its way in the world lately. Beavers wouldn’t be at all surprised.
New research reveals how hundreds of species influence Earth’s surface processes, from vast termite mounds visible from space to hippos carving drainage systems and beavers creating entire wetlands.
“This research shows that the role of animals in shaping Earth’s landscapes is much more significant that previously recognized,” said Professor Gemma Harvey, a researcher at Queen Mary University of London.
“From beavers creating wetlands to ants building mounds of soil, these diverse natural processes are crucial, yet we risk losing them as biodiversity declines.”
“From tiny ants shifting soil to salmon reshaping riverbeds, the study highlights the diversity and scale of animals’ impact across all freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems.”
You don’t say! You mean those things just didn’t happen all by themselves? Shocking!
This research shows that the role of animals in shaping Earth’s landscapes is much more significant that previously recognized,” said Professor Gemma Harvey, a researcher at Queen Mary University of London.
“From beavers creating wetlands to ants building mounds of soil, these diverse natural processes are crucial, yet we risk losing them as biodiversity declines.”
“From tiny ants shifting soil to salmon reshaping riverbeds, the study highlights the diversity and scale of animals’ impact across all freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems.”
Did you year that sound? It was the collective gasp of 20 million beavers all over the world smacking their foreheads at the same time,
“Termites build vast networks of mounds in Brazil, some covering thousands of square kilometers, while salmon spawning can shift as much sediment as annual flooding,” the researchers said.
“Even ants, through their tiny but countless actions, alter soil structure and drainage.”
Nearly 30% of the identified species are rare, endemic, or threatened, meaning vital geomorphic processes could cease before their full significance is understood.
This loss could have profound consequences for ecosystems and the landscapes they support.
“This research provides new insights for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem restoration,” Professor Harvey said.
“Rewilding and species reintroduction projects, such as the reintroduction of beavers to restore wetlands, show how harnessing these natural processes could help combat environmental challenges like erosion and flooding.”
Better not lose any more species if you like the way things used to look. Nice little planet you got here, shame if something were to happen to it.
