BEAVERS: HEALERS OF THE RIVERS

When a pair of beavers made their home in a river below an experimental farm perched on a dry mountain of the Drôme (southern France), agronomist and farmer Marco Forconi saw an extraordinary opportunity for bio-inspiration. Together with his collaborators, he chose to give way to the two rodents. The result? A true refuge of coolness and life emerged along the river – without any human effort or financial investment.

What if beavers held the key to restoring the entire valley’s ecosystems, by creating new natural connections between waterways?

However, after their downstream dams were destroyed, the two beavers disappeared… Determined to bring them back and extend this dynamic across the farm’s 1,000 hectares, Marco sets out on an investigation alongside scientists, farmers and environmental actors. The goal: to learn how to “cultivate water” like the beavers, and to mobilize the entire valley in a citizen-driven movement for their return.