December 15, 2025 | 07:42 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A study has proven that natural dams built by beavers are effective in restoring dying and damaged river ecosystems, as quoted by Earth from the journal Restoration Ecology, which highlights a new trend in environmental conservation.
Jonah Piovia-Scott, a professor at Washington State University (WSU) Vancouver and the study's author, stated that the natural structure of beaver dams can mitigate the risk of river damage. In fact, it is suspected that humans learned how to build concrete dams from beavers.
The research team reviewed 161 studies related to river restoration projects. The results showed strong evidence that artificial beaver dams are indeed capable of cooling down the temperature of the river water, which previously threatened its environmental ecosystem.
Additionally, artificial beaver dams were found to significantly boost fish populations and reconnect the river with its floodplains. These structures also help enhance the ecosystem's resilience against the increasingly frequent forest fires.
"That series of studies is fantastic and it’s really a great example of how these beaver-mimicry practices can improve fish habitat and contribute to fish-population growth," Piovia-Scott stated in the Earth report on December 13, 2025.
While promising, researchers warn that this method should not be seen as an instant solution to all problems. In addition to the natural contribution of beavers, humans need to address the crisis of this river basin with more robust structures. Moreover, dams made by beavers are also unable to replace the damage caused by human actions to the rivers.
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