September 27, 2023
There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to the unassuming water vole, a chestnut-brown, semi-aquatic creature that might invoke a pang of nostalgia for those raised on Winds in the Willow stories.
“They can kickstart an entire ecosystem,” says John Nightingale, coordinator of the Habitat Group responsible for the landmark reintroduction of 800 water voles in the River Gara in the South Hams. They’re what is known as a keystone species – they eat over 280 types of river bank grass and in this process of nibbling down and grazing, they make space for wildflowers, bringing in pollinators, bees, insects and moths, which becomes food for small mammals, from stoats to buzzards.
Despite their crucial ecological role, water vole numbers have plummeted, estimated at eight million in the 1900s, with now only 100,000 left in the UK. Nightingale highlights the loss of habitat in their demise and also a less likely cause. American mink.
“American mink escaped from mink farms when they were banned 25 years ago – they’ll eat almost anything and a female can fit down a water vole burrow,” says Nightingale.
“A single female can wipe out an entire colony in one season.”
The ambitious project, the first community-led of its kind, started to take shape when Sue Hadow, who owned land by the River Gara, took Nightingale to a course run by the revered species reintroduction expert, Derek Gow.
“He said the river Gara was the perfect environment for water voles.”
With the willing consent of the landowner, Nightingale says that the “enthusiasm, knowledge and time” of the Habitat Group community has been vital to the successful reintroduction, the first of which happened a few weeks ago, garnering the attention of BBC journalists.
“It was an extraordinary day,” Nightingale says.
But it hasn’t been easy. It took the community group two and a half years to get to this point.
Reintroduction projects are complex and expensive, and this one will cost £28,000 in total, even with the generous support of volunteers. “To have all the necessary surveys to breed 800 water voles, have them brought down, supply the cages – it’s hugely expensive.”
Fortunately, the fact we’re in “the middle of an ecological crisis” means that there are plenty of funding options available. You just need to know where to look.
Nightingale admits that this complexity and expense means it’s charities that normally carry out reintroductions, but it is possible on a community scale and the Habitat Group has proved it.
Top tips for those interested in reintroduction projects
• Get the community on board.
• Find a willing landowner.
• Talk to those who have worked in fundraising – they can point you to the right organisations.
• Talk to an expert in the animal you want to reintroduce.
• Set up the infrastructure to receive funds and take donations, such as a bank account and website.
If you’d like to learn more about the River Gara water vole reintroduction project, you can visit the Habitat Group’s Website here or email coordinator John Nightingale at jsanightingale@gmail.com. Read the most recent project update here.
Article by Jack Thompson