A potential downside to the beaver's comeback
Wednesday, October 28, 2015 - 10:20
in Earth & Climate
The Eurasian beaver was brought back from near extinction and now thrives across Europe. But this conservation success story may have had at least one unintended and potentially harmful consequence. Scientists report in ACS' journal Environmental Science & Technology that when beavers build new dams where no previous beaver colonies existed, downstream levels of toxic methylmercury rise, at least temporarily.