News / UWE Bristol
Bristol study is first to establish link between bats and beavers
A UWE Bristol study suggests the reintroduction of beavers to wetlands in England and Wales is resulting in an increase in bat activity.
The research is the first to reveal the positive impact of beavers on bats.
It shows increased movements of bats, which rely on freshwater ecosystems for drinking water and as a foraging resource, in beaver enclosures, in comparison to wetlands where beavers aren’t present.
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For one species, Barbastella barbastellus, activity was recorded as 393 per cent higher in the beaver enclosures than in wetland sites without beavers.
Beaver activity can be seen in Cropton Forest in Yorkshire – one of the locations where the research took place – photo: UWE Bristol
The research, published in Science of the Total Environment, also observed positive effects on bats in woodland habitats surrounding the beaver enclosures.
Beavers have been reintroduced to England – where they became a legally protected species in 2023 – and Scotland, where they are classified as native. Wild colonies are now found in Argyll, Tayside and Devon.
The animals are a keystone species that can be pivotal in creating healthy ecosystems, reestablishing lost habitats, shaping the land and determining the types of plants and animals that live there.
Through dam-building, they create ponds that slow the flow of water. The process traps sediment and nutrients, helping to prevent flooding and store water for dry periods.
Dr Paul Lintott, principal investigator for the study and head of UWE’s Ecology and Conservation Research Lab, said: “The full importance of beavers to our landscapes has only recently begun to be understood.
“It is well established that beavers can be used to reduce flooding risk. However, we are now seeing that beavers can help other wildlife thrive, including protected species such as bats.
”As beaver-modified rivers become more widespread across the UK, it is exciting to know that they will be creating valuable habitats for many other native and endangered wildlife species.”
The study, which used passive acoustic monitoring to compare bat activity in 12 fenced-off beaver enclosures and control locations in England and Wales, could have implications for bats – many species of which have endangered or threatened status in the UK.
Lead author Jack Hooker said: “The importance of freshwater ecosystems for bats cannot be understated.
“The management of wetland networks is critical for the conservation of bat populations. Previously, human interventions have been attempted to restore these ecosystems but beavers are proving to be a more successful nature-based solution.
“In Great Britain, the European beaver was wiped from the landscape over 400 years ago and, as a result, our memory of what beaver ecosystems were like and how other species co-existed with beavers has been lost.
“The reintroductions over the past decade are highlighting how significantly beavers modify their local environment and how these alterations can improve habitat quality and foraging opportunities for bats, including some of our rarest species.
“Our study demonstrates that restoring wetland networks with beavers can provide a natural solution to restoring degraded and fragmented landscapes which can re-establish historical links between aquatic and terrestrial food webs.”
Main image: Bevis Watts
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