Scientists to study influence of beaver activity on local small rivers
A team under the guidance of Associate Professor Aydar Sharifullin will be allocated 15 million rubles for three years by the Russian Science Foundation.
“The Russian Science Foundation has supported all our planned expenses on beaver studies, including monitoring activities on rivers in Tatarstan. Apart from that, we plan trips to Kirov Oblast, Saratov Oblast, Samara Oblast, and Republic of Bashkortostan. We will also evaluate the ratios of heavy metals, phosphorus, nitrogen, carbon, and radioactive elements in benthos, water, and suspended sediments,” says the scientist.
The project involves eight researchers from KFU and other organizations – experts in hydrology, geomorphology, spectroscopy, and geodesy.
The main objective is to evaluate the influence of beavers on water runoff, sediments, and accompanying pollution.
“Why beavers? After they had been absent on our rivers for almost a century, they were reintroduced and have been actively proliferating. As a result, we have increasing number of beaver ponds on small rivers. In turn, this affects erosion processes, sediment collection, hydrochemical properties of water flows, outlines of floodplains, etc.,” explains Sharifullin.
As of 2020, the population of beavers in Tatarstan was believed to be in the vicinity of 15 thousand heads – in comparison to almost zero on the mid-20th century. After coordinated reintroduction efforts, beavers can now be encountered in all corners of the province.
As the project lead comments, the team will shoot floodplains, riverbeds, and river valleys with geodetic equipment. Hydrological works include water flow measurements and sediment analysis.
“Our goal is to determine landscape characteristics of the placement of beaver dams, their role in water flows, sediments, and general transformation of floodplain-riverbed complexes. The influence of beaver activity can be both positive and negative,” concludes the interviewee.