As summers go, it has been a pretty good one for us humans if you enjoy long spells of sunshine, hot temperatures, and trips to the seaside. In Dorset we are blessed with a host of beautiful beaches in which we can take advantage of the mass of salt water that laps up against our shores for a much-needed dip to cool off. But what about our freshwater supplies? On land, the recent extreme dry weather conditions have meant that the water levels have dropped in many of our freshwater habitats including rivers, streams and ponds.

But what does this mean for wildlife? Let’s face it, water is our most precious resource, without which life on earth wouldn't exist. Humans rely on it, as do plants and animals. Some species of bird and mammal come to water to simply drink and bathe, where as other species such fish live and breathe in water.

Other species, such as frogs and toads, spend a large part of their lives out of the water but will regularly return to breed there. Recent drought conditions have made it difficult for wildlife with many of our rivers running alarmingly low and our ponds dramatically reducing in size, and in some cases drying up completely. 

At home, I have had to top up our garden pond on numerous occasions to retain a level that can support the array of wildlife that relies on it, a problem I'm sure many of you are familiar with this summer. The family of beavers at our Beaver Project site, however, have maintained the water levels of their pond throughout this dry spell, demonstrating the benefits these ecosystem engineers bring to a landscape with regards to water retention.

The carefully constructed beaver dams slow the flow of freshwater, holding it on land for longer, rather than allowing it to rush straight into the sea. This is a huge benefit to people and animals during droughts, maintaining a wetland habitat above their dams, and keeping downstream rivers topped up with a constant supply passing through their leaky constructions. 

As with humans, water becomes increasingly important during hot weather (we head to the sea for a dip) and any surviving bodies of freshwater such as this can be a vital refuge for wildlife (amphibians head to the ponds to cool off).

Wetland habitat created by beavers can also act as an important fire break during wildfires, such as those we have seen devastating our heathlands recently. Beaver-modified wetlands could become an increasingly important refuge for plants and animals as we face extreme temperatures due to the climate crisis. Mitigation such as hose pipe bans and water butts may become more regular methods of saving water in the future. But beavers are sure to play a vital role in water conservation, benefitting both humans and wildlife during times of drought - by simply doing what comes naturally to them.