Water voles are a native species that used to been seen down our waterways very recently up until the last 30 years or so. ‘Ratty’ the character in the book Wind in the Willows written by Kenneth Grahame was actually a Water vole and not a rat! Habitat fragmentation and the release of the mink (thought to be as a result of animal activists in reaction to the fur trade, I know you can’t make this stuff up!) has resulted in a 90% decline since the turn of the last century. This dramatic decline is the reason it is on the UK’s BAP list.
Water Voles are protected under the following UK legislation:
- Wildlife & Countryside Act (as Amended) 1981: Schedule 5
The Water vole is also on the UK BAP list.
To summarise, you would be breaking the law by;
- intentionally capture, kill or injure water voles
- damage, destroy or block access to their places of shelter or protection (on purpose or by not taking enough care)
- disturb them in a place of shelter or protection (on purpose or by not taking enough care)
- possess, sell, control or transport live or dead water voles or parts of them (not water voles bred in captivity)
Surveying Water voles is based on a habitat assessment and looking for the presence of Water voles either by actual sightings and/or field signs such as:
- faeces
- latrines
- feeding stations
- burrows
- footprints
- runs or pathways
If Water voles are present a mitigation plan will be included in your report. Mitigation measures are produced to aide a successful planning application and to ensure and gain a positive conservation status of the Water vole.
Further information;
https://www.gov.uk/water-voles-protection-surveys-and-licences
Downloads;
Ecological Survey Calendar – Download Here
Mitigation Calendar – Download Here