Hot Dam: Why beavers are Britain’s new climate heroes
Summary
NPR’s Lauren Freyer reports on Britain’s reintroduction of beavers, originally hunted to extinction, to combat climate-driven flooding. While these "rodent climate warriors" successfully protect infrastructure like a London tube station and boost biodiversity, their dam-building causes conflicts with farmers facing crop damage. The story highlights the tension between ecological benefits and agricultural concerns, including illegal "beaver bombing" and debates over land management.
Topics discussed
Introduction: Beavers solving flooding in London
Beaver biology and history of extinction in Britain
Reintroduction of Millie and Bjornar in Scotland
Beavers as climate warriors and ecosystem engineers
Farmer conflicts and government regulations
Beaver bombers and illegal releases
Farmer Tom Bowser's beaver tourism business
Spotting beavers and the Millie-Bjornar incest reveal
Beaver trivia: Diet, dams, and predators
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