Recovering Nottinghamshire’s Water Voles

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The water vole was once common, found in almost every river and waterway in the county. Yet, in the last 30 years, populations have crashed by over 90% and this iconic species is now one of the most threatened mammals in England and on the verge of local extinction. 

At Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, we’re on a mission to recover Nottinghamshire’s water voles and we need you to help us.  

We are aiming to raise £25,000 by 30th September to invest in habitat restoration and protection across the county.

Your donation could support: 

  • Riverbank habitat restoration, such as placing “coir” mats pre-planted with diverse, water vole friendly plant species along the bank, as well as installing fencing to control where our nature grazing herd and flock graze, creating more habitat for water voles.
  • Pond and ditch creation, digging habitats that can become home to tiny invertebrates, as well as water voles, supporting a sustainable food chain.
  • Surveying and reintroduction programmes so that we can monitor how we are turning the tide on species loss, as well as continue investing in measures to keep populations afloat.

Water vole release September 2024 (https://youtu.be/9s9LAMp_jkU)

Credit Sophie Bell

Why do we need water voles?

Beyond their intrinsic value, water voles are essential to flourishing ecosystems. The complex burrows they create improve the health of riverbanks by supporting different plants and flowers to grow, which in turn support insects. The burrows they build can also be used by other small mammals, amphibians and reptiles.  

Water vole on tree stump

As native, keystone species, water voles should exist in our landscapes, not least because they play a vital role in engineering and managing them. The fact that they don’t is a clear sign of the damage habitat loss, pollution, climate change and predation is having on the country’s wildlife. We must act now, otherwise we risk losing this much-loved species forever.

With your support, we hope to see the water vole return to Nottinghamshire once again, where it can thrive alongside other wildlife. Donate today to help bring water voles back from the brink of extinction.

Our work so far...

Idle Valley "Ark Site"

In north Nottinghamshire something amazing is happening. Captive-bred water voles have been released alongside beavers at Idle Valley nature reserve and the two rare species are now living alongside one another in harmony. The site benefits from the presence of these “habitat engineers”, who are creating mosaics of habitats for wildlife to thrive in.

Gamston (Retford)

The water vole team have worked with two landowners to deliver a large habitat creation project that is purpose built for water voles over a 10ha site which includes the following: 

  •  9 large new ponds created with an excavated area of around 10,000m2 and varying depths up to 1.5m
  •  New reedbed created by excavating to 0.5m depth with a deeper channel running through the middle.
  • 760m new ditches and side channels created, up to 1.5m depth, which links up to the river at either end 

Attenborough Nature Reserve

The mink control measures that the Water Vole Recovery project team have been undertaking aren’t just helping water voles, but many other species, too. At Attenborough Nature Reserve, we have anecdotal evidence of an increase in the number of water birds like great crested grebes, coots and lapwings.  

FAQs

What other wildlife will benefit from this work?

As well as halting the decline of water voles, this programme will benefit other threatened species including bittern, sedge warbler, harvest mouse, otter, nathusius pipistrelle and common tern.

Why is mink control necessary?

The future of the county’s water vole population is so perilous that in addition to creating new habitat and improving existing wetland habitat it is essential that we prevent further loss of water voles due to mink predation. Mink were introduced or escaped into our landscape in the 1950s and 1960s. Water vole numbers have been devastated by mink which are voracious predators which will kill a wide range of native creatures. Efforts to reduce mink numbers are vital to save water voles from extinction and will also benefit a range of other species. Without directly reducing mink numbers efforts to improve or create suitable habitat would be futile. 

Where can I find out more about the Water Vole Recovery Project?

Visit: https://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/water-vole-recovery-project

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