Czech beavers trump red tape to save $1.7 million dam project
A beaver colony in the Brdy region of the Czech Republic gained unexpected popularity when, in just two days, it built a dam that local authorities had been planning to construct for seven years. Acting without bureaucracy and formalities, the beavers saved the administration over $1.7 million CAD.
The Administration of the Brdy Protected Landscape Area in the Czech Republic had long been trying to obtain the necessary permits for a wetland revitalization project. The project, worth 30 million Czech crowns (over $1.7 million CAD), aimed to improve environmental conditions, but the local beaver colony almost thwarted the plans.
According to Radio Prague International, the beavers were the unexpected heroes of the situation. They quickly and effectively completed a project that people had been unable to realize for a long time. The beavers built dams in a bypass ravine that soldiers had created many years ago in a former military base.
The purpose of the construction was to dry out the area, and the revitalization project aimed to restore this area to its natural state. Bohumil Fišer, head of the Administration of the Brdy Protected Landscape Area, stated that nature showed exceptional initiative.
"The beavers created the necessary biotope conditions practically overnight. The Military Forests and Estates and the Vltava River Basin Authority were negotiating the project implementation and land ownership issues. The beavers outdid them, saving us 30 million crowns. They built dams without any design documentation and for free," said Fišer in an interview with Radio Prague International.
The construction had been planned for seven years. Beavers made the dam in two days
Zoologist Jiří Vlček added that the local administration cannot compete with such actions by beavers. "Beavers can build a dam in one, at most, two nights. While people must obtain construction permits, approve a construction project, and find the money for it," noted Vlček.
Ecologists who monitored the situation emphasize that the beavers' actions significantly improved the state of the environment. The wetlands and water basins they created will be excellent habitats for rare species like stone crayfish, frogs, and other organisms that thrive in wetland areas.
"Beavers always know best. The sites where they build dams are always chosen correctly, better than when we design them on paper," said Jaroslav Obermajer, head of the Central Bohemian office of the Czech Agency for Nature Conservation and Landscape Protection, as quoted by Radio Prague International.
