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Going, Going, Gone ?
Durham Wildlife Trust’s ‘From Coals to Voles’ project
The water vole (Arvicola terrestris) is the UK’s largest vole and will always be remembered as the animal that inspired the character “Ratty” in the classic children’s story, ‘The Wind in the Willows’. Unfortunately, the water vole now has another claim to fame as Britain’s most threatened mammal. James Cokill, outlines what the Durham Wildlife Trust (DWT) have been doing to help “Ratty”.
The Background
Over the last 10,000 years there has been a slow decline in the water vole population
once numbered in billions, due to competition for resources and habitat with
other mammals introduced by man, such as sheep. This decline accelerated in
the 19th and 20th centuries due to the intensification of agriculture; land
drainage and the expansion of urban areas, leading to large-scale habitat loss.
At the end of the 20th century researchers began to notice an accelerating rate of water vole decline, and large-scale nationwide surveys were conducted to assess the extent to the problem. The following statistic from the Vincent Wildlife Trust perfectly illustrates the catastrophic nature of what was found – “In 1990 a calculation was made of the total number of water voles in County Durham and Northumberland (the area covered by Northumbrian Water), which gave a figure of 427,000. This exercise was repeated in 1998 and gave a figure of 29,000 water voles, a 93% decline in less than 10 year”.
What was the cause of this dramatic decline? Quite simply – it was the American mink (Mustela vison). These are not native to Britain but were brought here from north America in 1929 to be bred commercially for their fur. Mink subsequently escaped, or were released, from fur farms across the country and by the 1980s had spread across England and into Scotland. Water voles did not share an evolutionary past with the mink, so had not evolved strategies to evade this highly effective predator occupying the same habitat. Water voles soon began to fall prey to mink in very large numbers, with studies showing that in some areas water voles were providing 30% of a mink’s food intake.
The Project - “From Coals to Voles”
Without action it would appear that the water vole is set for extinction in
the UK, so the DWT developed the ‘From Coals to Voles’ project.
The project, the first single species conservation project to be funded by Lottery
money, began in June 2003. A partnership was formed which included DWT, the
Environment Agency plus the local authorities for Gateshead, South Tyneside,
Sunderland and Easington. These authorities cover the lowlands of north and
east Durham, the area in the county with the highest remaining population of
water voles. Records were collated and a computer based Geographical Information
System was used to map the data and guide conservation effort.
The practical implementation phase began in February 2004 which involved safeguarding existing water vole colonies, followed by working with farmers and landowners in adjoining areas to create habitat linkages. Not only does this increase the overall amount of habitat available, it also allows for the movement of water voles between occupied areas, much reducing the odds of a chance event such as a flood leading to the extinction of a colony. It is hoped that funding for habitat improvement measures, such as leaving vegetated buffer strips by water courses, will come from farmers entering Government funded agri-environment schemes such as Stewardship.
Many of the areas where water voles are still found are in urban locations e.g. The River Don corridor in South Tyneside. It’s therefore vital that the project engages with business and members of the public to promote water vole conservation. One approach might involve altering grounds maintenance around industrial premises. Another would be to persuade people not to over-feed the ducks in the local park, as food waste results in increased numbers of brown rats, which can out-compete, or even kill, resident water voles.
Measuring Success
How will we know if we have succeeded? Well, if there are still water voles
in north and east Durham by the end of the project in February 2007 that will
be a success in itself. If there are more water voles than at the start of the
project, and we are helping to achieve local and national biodiversity targets
for water voles, then that will be even better. However, we need all the help
we can get.
My post as project officer is only funded for 2 days per week which is not nearly enough time to carryout the survey work required, let alone promote water vole conservation and persuade farmers to enter agri-environment schemes. If countryside managers and rangers know of water vole colonies in the project area we would love to hear from you. If you would like advice on managing land for water voles in north and east Durham or information on potential funding for water vole conservation, we would be happy to help. And of course, large cash donations, as always, will be gratefully received!
James Cokill
Coals to Voles Project Officer
Durham Wildlife Trust
0191 584 3112