Norfolk Wildlife Trust and the water vole research
In the past one could find water voles on almost any slow-flowing watercourse on the British mainland. Sadly, their numbers have dropped with alarming speed and results from a recent national survey suggest they have disappeared from more than 89% of the sites occupied 60 years ago. This is one of the most rapid and serious declines among British mammals. The decline is due to population fragmentation and isolation caused by a number of factors, the main ones being habitat loss and inappropriate management, exacerbated in recent years by an expanding feral American mink population which has accelerated the decline. Nevertheless, East Anglia is known to be a national stronghold for water voles with widespread, extensive populations and high rates of occupancy in some areas including parts of Broadland in the east and the Fens area in the west.
Declining
Both anecdotal and quantitative evidence suggests that the water vole has declined or disappeared from extensive stretches of the main channels of the River Waveney and Little Ouse along the boundary between Norfolk and Suffolk. However, it is not known to what extent water voles persist or to what extent minor watercourses, small waterbodies and wetland fen and reedbed habitats, within the adjacent river valleys, still support them.
Research is required
It is important to establish the current scenario both to provide a baseline of distribution and also so that conservation organisations and agencies working to benefit water voles and other wetland wildlife within the TEN Project area know where best to prioritise and target their efforts. Distribution away from the main river channels and a dependence on smaller watercourses in the adjacent valley is the predicted, likely scenario for water voles within the TEN Project area. A comprehensive survey is required in order to confirm this.
The research
With generous assistance and funding from the Environment Agency (also a TEN Project partner), Norfolk Wildlife Trust is undertaking a comprehensive water vole survey of the TEN Project area during 2004. This will provide an essential picture of current water vole presence and the pattern of distribution within the TEN Project area, helping inform the TEN Project 'vision' of wetland creation and restoration projects, as well as ongoing, routine watercourse maintenance and any mink control that may be co-ordinated in the near future.
Distribution
Maps showing water vole distribution and a directory of sites will be shared with project partners, local authorities, Internal Drainage Boards, landowners and other relevant groups. There will be follow-up best practice guidelines and site advisory work to help achieve habitat gains and enhancements for water voles and control of mink.
In the past one could find water voles on almost any slow-flowing watercourse on the British mainland. Sadly, their numbers have dropped with alarming speed and results from a recent national survey suggest they have disappeared from more than 89% of the sites occupied 60 years ago. This is one of the most rapid and serious declines among British mammals. The decline is due to population fragmentation and isolation caused by a number of factors, the main ones being habitat loss and inappropriate management, exacerbated in recent years by an expanding feral American mink population which has accelerated the decline. Nevertheless, East Anglia is known to be a national stronghold for water voles with widespread, extensive populations and high rates of occupancy in some areas including parts of Broadland in the east and the Fens area in the west.
Declining
Both anecdotal and quantitative evidence suggests that the water vole has declined or disappeared from extensive stretches of the main channels of the River Waveney and Little Ouse along the boundary between Norfolk and Suffolk. However, it is not known to what extent water voles persist or to what extent minor watercourses, small waterbodies and wetland fen and reedbed habitats, within the adjacent river valleys, still support them.
Research is required
It is important to establish the current scenario both to provide a baseline of distribution and also so that conservation organisations and agencies working to benefit water voles and other wetland wildlife within the TEN Project area know where best to prioritise and target their efforts. Distribution away from the main river channels and a dependence on smaller watercourses in the adjacent valley is the predicted, likely scenario for water voles within the TEN Project area. A comprehensive survey is required in order to confirm this.
The research
With generous assistance and funding from the Environment Agency (also a TEN Project partner), Norfolk Wildlife Trust is undertaking a comprehensive water vole survey of the TEN Project area during 2004. This will provide an essential picture of current water vole presence and the pattern of distribution within the TEN Project area, helping inform the TEN Project 'vision' of wetland creation and restoration projects, as well as ongoing, routine watercourse maintenance and any mink control that may be co-ordinated in the near future.
Distribution
Maps showing water vole distribution and a directory of sites will be shared with project partners, local authorities, Internal Drainage Boards, landowners and other relevant groups. There will be follow-up best practice guidelines and site advisory work to help achieve habitat gains and enhancements for water voles and control of mink.
United Kingdom
Norfolk and Suffolk
