Water Vole Project
A project to re-introduce water voles to the River Gara and its tributaries.
Bringing water voles back to the Gara Valley, and the benefits that that would bring to other wildlife had always seemed like an inspiring idea but also a huge hill to climb.
To create a viable population we would need to re-introduce around 800 water voles in different locations over the space of three years.
Donate
If you would like to support the water vole reintroduction project then all donations are gratefully received. You can also sponsor a water vole for £35, which pays towards the breeding programme and the care of one vole pup from birth to release and beyond. Every penny goes direct to the project.
The best way to do that is by BACS with the reference “Vole”. Contact us at hello@beginbystarting.co.uk and we will email you Begin By Starting CIC’s bank details. If BACS isn’t possible then there is also a Just Giving page set up.
Can you help bring back our natural habitants?
Water voles are a keystone species. This means they have a disproportionately positive effect on their environment relative to their abundance. Water voles create a dynamic habitat that supports numerous other species and are crucial in maintaining thriving wetland ecosystems along riverbanks such as the Gara.
By nibbling vegetation they create flower rich banks with hugely increased plant diversity which benefits numerous species including bees, moths, butterflies and other pollinators and subsequently the mammals, birds and bats that feed upon these insects.
Water vole burrows provide refuge and protected breeding sites for other small mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. The voles themselves are also key prey species for larger creatures including otters, stoats, owls and herons.
What happened to the water voles that used to be here?
The water vole has been part of the British countryside for more than 10,000 years. In the early 20th Century over 8 million were recorded in the UK, but these charismatic and ecologically important creatures are rapidly disappearing from our waterways. Recent records suggest we now have just 100,000 left, with water voles declining by 90% in the last 20 years alone.
The species has now been classified as endangered and by 2020 was considered functionally extinct in Devon and Cornwall.
Water vole decline is due to a number of factors including habitat loss, predation by non-native American mink and pollution. The reduction in the number of water voles has in turn impacted on the populations of other species that depend upon their presence. However, by working together, we believe that these charming creatures can be reintroduced to the Gara Valley where they once thrived.
Who is undertaking this?
Begin By Starting is collaborating with a group of local volunteers who have developed, and will deliver this project.
Let’s hand over to Sue Hadow, a member of the local Habitat Group for an on-the-ground (or should that be on-the-river-bank?) account:
We are a group of local residents from Sustainable Dittisham (www.sustainabledittisham.org) and Sustainable Blackawton who share a desire to improve our local natural environment. We now have about forty active participants, some of whom own and manage land and together we have a wealth of knowledge and experience.
We are all passionate about making positive environmental change and have come together to form ‘The Habitat Group’, now drawing in members from half a dozen local parishes and we are working with Begin By Starting to try to turn this fabulous project into reality.
Will it work?
Water voles are a robust species which are quite capable of rapid recovery in areas with no mink populations.
The first survey undertaken by Derek Gow, the country’s leading expert on water voles and a veteran of many successful re-introductions, confirmed that the Gara Valley was an ideal environment for a re-introduction and identified a number of places where water voles could be released.
These sites have slow moving water or pools and open banks with a range of vegetation for voles to feed on including greater tussock sedge, hemlock water dropwort, meadowsweet, bramble and flag iris.
Water voles, however, need be able to recolonise up and down stream in order to successfully breed, thrive and survive, so it is vital that we link these sites together.
Reintroduction Map
Here is a map showing the extent of the watercourse and intended reintroduction sites.
Has it worked before?
Several reintroductions into sites such as Pagham Harbour and Arundel in West Sussex, Rutland Water, the River Dore in Herefordshire, The River Colne in Essex, The River Meon in Hampshire and the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park in the Trossachs have all resulted in the creation of much larger populations, some of which reach to over 30 square miles in extent.
A reintroduction begun in 2012 into the Gwent levels, a very similar landscape to the River Gara, has resulted in an extensive and expanding population of water voles throughout the surrounding landscape. That project has now been used to illustrate best practice with regard to the species recovery by the IUCN.
Has it got the support of the local community?
The landowners along the river where re-introductions would take place have been contacted and have all firmly got behind the plan and it has been met with huge enthusiasm in the wider community. There have already been many people volunteering to assist with mink control and water vole monitoring during the project.
What are the stumbling blocks?
The one thing we have to ensure is that there are no escaped mink populations anywhere near the re-introduction sites. Thankfully American mink populations have been declining countrywide, particuarly in the South West, and we have already positioned mink rafts around the re-introduction area which would have alerted us to their presence. None have been seen so far and there have been no sightings in the area for many years. Nonetheless, as part of the project, four mink traps would be strategically positioned in the area which would automatically alert us if any were caught.
How will the project work?
Working alongside wildlife reintroduction expert Derek Gow, we will re-introduce around 800 water voles in four different locations over the space of three years. The first release is scheduled for autumn 2023.
Accurate surveys of the area have been made and Derek Gow has visited and approved the locations for water vole releases. The first tranche of water voles are already being bred and will need to be cared for over the coming months before being transported, released and subsequently monitored for a number of months.
At present we are continually monitoring for the presence of mink using a remote notification mink trap system and will continue this well into the project to ensure no immigrant minks arrive in the area undetected.
We have already raised half the total funds through grant applications and this will enable the first releases to go ahead. However, we need to continue to raise money to pay for the subsequent releases.
If you are interested in donating to the water vole reintroduction projects please either email hello@beginbystarting.co.uk to ask for our BACS details (with BACS payments every penny of your donation goes to the project), or visit our Just Giving page.
If you would like further information or to volunteer please email suehadow@gmail.com
Many thanks.
The Adventures of Walter Shrew
There’s a lovely tie-in with this project and children’s author James Hywel. James has strong links to the area, indeed one of best known characters is Albert Mouse who lives in Dartmouth, James was working on a new book, “The Adventures of Walter Shrew“, and, having heard about the project suggested that there could be a nice link made in his book. The Adventures of Walter Shrew now features and highlights the project, encouraging readers to think about the health of our environment, and to look out for signs of water voles.
Donate
If you would like to support the water vole reintroduction project then all donations are gratefully received. You can also sponsor a water vole for £35, which pays towards the breeding programme and the care of one vole pup from birth to release and beyond. Every penny goes direct to the project.
The best way to do that is by BACS with the reference “Vole”. Contact us at hello@beginbystarting.co.uk and we will email you Begin By Starting CIC’s bank details.
If BACS isn’t possible then there is also a Just Giving page set up.