Which solutions do conservation groups suggest?
For several hundred years, there were no beavers in Britain. Hunted for their thick fur and for an oily scent used in medicine, they had vanished from the rivers by the sixteenth century. In recent years, however, small groups have been released under careful supervision, and the results have surprised scientists.
A beaver is nature's engineer. It fells small trees with its sharp front teeth and uses the branches, mud and stones to build dams across streams. Behind each dam, the water spreads into pools and marshy patches. These slow the flow of the river, so that after heavy rain the water is released gradually instead of rushing downstream. Fish, frogs, dragonflies and water birds move into the new wetlands.
Not everyone is delighted. Some farmers point out that a dam can flood a field of crops, and that gnawed trees along a riverbank may fall across paths or fences. 'I like wildlife as much as anyone,' says one farmer, 'but I cannot grow wheat under a pond.'
Conservation groups reply that most problems can be managed. Pipes can be fitted through dams to keep the water at a safe level, and young trees can be wrapped in wire. The question, they argue, is not whether beavers should return but how people and beavers can share the same land.
A beaver is nature's engineer. It fells small trees with its sharp front teeth and uses the branches, mud and stones to build dams across streams. Behind each dam, the water spreads into pools and marshy patches. These slow the flow of the river, so that after heavy rain the water is released gradually instead of rushing downstream. Fish, frogs, dragonflies and water birds move into the new wetlands.
Not everyone is delighted. Some farmers point out that a dam can flood a field of crops, and that gnawed trees along a riverbank may fall across paths or fences. 'I like wildlife as much as anyone,' says one farmer, 'but I cannot grow wheat under a pond.'
Conservation groups reply that most problems can be managed. Pipes can be fitted through dams to keep the water at a safe level, and young trees can be wrapped in wire. The question, they argue, is not whether beavers should return but how people and beavers can share the same land.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: A. Fitting pipes through dams and wrapping young trees in wire
- Step 1: The last paragraph lists pipes through dams and wire around young trees. Answer: Fitting pipes through dams and wrapping young trees in wire. Why not the others: Moving all the beavers to zoos away from rivers: This would remove the beavers entirely. Paying farmers to leave their fields empty: No payments are mentioned. Filling in every pool the beavers have made: This would undo the benefits.
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