WATER VOLE (ARVICOLA TERRESTRIS) ACTION PLAN

Compiled By The Wildlife Trust

Lead Agencies Public Sector Environment Agency

Voluntary Sector The Wildlife Trust

1 INTRODUCTION

Once a common sight on river and canal banks in Northamptonshire, the Water Vole has suffered a serious decline in recent years. Threatened by changes in bank-side management and by the American Mink, Water Voles are now restricted to only a few sites in the county.

Water Voles inhabit the banks of rivers, streams, ditches, canals, ponds and lakes. Smaller, slower-flowing waterways can provide the best sites and backwaters, side streams, permanent dykes and ditches and ox-bow lakes are often preferred to main river channels. Important features of good Water Vole habitat include a permanent water supply during summer months, a steep or stepped earth (rather than gravel or rock) bank suitable for burrowing, and rich swathes of bank-side vegetation to provide food and cover (the best sites offer at least 60% ground cover in the form of tall, luxuriant riparian plants). Protracted flooding over winter makes sites untenable as burrows and nest chambers need to be above the water table.

2 CURRENT STATUS

2.1 International / National Status

· The Water Vole is found throughout Britain but is confined mainly to lowland areas near water. A recent population estimate based on the number of latrines found suggested a total British pre-breeding population of 1,200,000 animals.

· The Vincent Wildlife Trust undertook the first systematic National Water Vole Survey in 1989-90. As well as looking at current numbers of Water Voles in the UK, the historical distribution of the species was considered, so that an idea of the rate of change in Water Vole numbers could be obtained. It was found that only 32.3% of the sites where there were Water Voles in 1939 were still occupied in 1990, indicating a steady long-term decline. Further, the rate of decline appeared to be accelerating throughout the 1980s and ‘90s, and it was predicted that by the year 2000 only 6% of the sites where Water Voles were recorded early this century would remain occupied.

· Water Voles are protected under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

2.2 Local Status

· Water Voles now have a very restricted distribution in Northamptonshire, and populations are becoming increasingly isolated.

· Populations in the Swanspool Brook, Wellingborough and on some sections of the Grand Union Canal are at levels which probably remain viable.

· The Water Vole is listed as a species of concern in the Northamptonshire Red Data Book.

3 CURRENT FACTORS CAUSING LOSS OR DECLINE

· Habitat degradation. Heavy grazing by domestic livestock causes loss of waterside vegetation and poaching of the ground. Recent investigations have shown that the more grazing there is on areas of riverbank, the less likely the presence of Water Voles. Riparian engineering and maintenance works, such as flood protection by dredging, canalisation and clearing of bank side vegetation have been common throughout the second half of this century, and in the short term at least have detrimental effects on Water Vole populations. Bank reinforcement against the effects of boat wash erosion is also unsympathetic to Water Voles - sheet piling or concrete blocks are generally used.

· Habitat fragmentation. The loss of suitable habitat leads to greater and greater isolation of Water Vole colonies, which may hinder dispersal and ultimately reduce their chances of survival. The loss of natural vegetation cover such as marshy grassland and hedgerows due to the intensification of agriculture may also affect dispersal by removing links or corridors between Water Vole sites. The inclusion of the Water Vole on Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act may not substantially help to prevent the isolation of populations, since it does not deal with sites, other than those which Water Voles are currently using - areas of waterway between populations can still be legally developed.

· Pollution, disease and competition. Pollution from agrochemicals, diseases like Leptospirosis (Weil’s disease) carried by Brown Rats, and competition from Brown Rats (Ratus norvegicus) occupying similar sites may have detrimental effects on Water Vole populations. These possibilities as yet, however, remain undetermined.

· Predation. The Water Vole suffers predation by a number of native British animals, including the fox, otter, stoat, weasel, rat, owl, heron, raptors and large fish. None of these animals depend specifically on Water Voles for their survival, and typically the vole only constitutes around 5% of the predator’s diet although this varies with vole abundance. Brown rats have been reported to predate young Water Voles, causing local extinctions or displacements. Domestic cats have also given cause for concern. However, the feral American mink (Mustela vison), a relative newcomer to the British countryside, has been more severely implicated in the recent dramatic decline of the Water Vole. Whilst there does not seem to be any doubt that mink are currently severely affecting Water Vole populations, it is important to recognise the importance of the more long-term pressure of habitat loss through agricultural intensification. The ‘Tightrope Hypothesis’ (Barreto, Macdonald and Strachan, 1997) suggests that the confinement of Water Voles to a narrow strip of riparian habitat, and the isolation of populations, has largely increased their vulnerability to predation. It suggests that where habitat is not such a constraint on Water Vole numbers, they could co-exist with their predators, including the American Mink. This is currently happening along the ‘unimproved’ floodplains in Belarus.

· Fluctuations in water levels. The replacement of floodplains with efficiently drained, tilled land leads to changed patterns of water flow and flooding, and also a reduction in the availability of refuges for Water Voles when severe floods do occur. Periods of low rainfall, combined with crop irrigation, have led to low river flows and the drying up of smaller streams, ponds and ditches that can leave voles unable to escape predators or patrol their territories. Parching of the riverbank and therefore a reduction in the vole’s food supply and cover may also occur.

4 CURRENT ACTION

· Since 16th April 1998 the Water Vole has been included on Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act. This means that it is now illegal to intentionally damage, destroy or obstruct access to any structure or place Water Voles use for shelter or protection, and to disturb Water Voles whilst they are using such places.

· The Wildlife Trust and Environment Agency are currently monitoring the population on the Swanspool Brook, between Wellingborough and Mears Ashby. In addition to this, current records available for Water Voles are being collated.

· Monitoring of planning applications and liaison with landowners is currently being undertaken to prevent loss of Water Vole sites.

· The Environment Agency have commissioned a report from the Wildlife Trust mapping all recent records of Water Voles, and detailing their provenance.

· South Northamptonshire Council has commissioned a survey of the Grand Union Canal.

· The Environment Agency is collating data from spot surveys, or incidental records, as well as co-ordinated research, such as the Radio-tracking of natural Water Vole populations on the Swanspool Brook to establish baseline behavioural data.

5. WATER VOLE OBJECTIVES AND ACTIONS

	Objective	Action		Lead Agency		Partners	Targets
5.1	Policy and Legislation
	Objective One: Ensure the protection of the species under the instrumentation of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981	Ensure the implementation of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981	English Nature				Throughout the Plan period
	Objective Two: Ensure that BAP species are given an appropriate level of protection in local plans	Include species protection policies in local plans and/or supplementary guidance	Local Authorities				By 2003
	Objective Three: Ensure that the habitats occupied by Water Voles are given an appropriate level of protection in local plans	Designate all Water Vole sites as County Wildlife Sites (CWS)	Wildlife Trust		Local Authorities		By 2003
5.2	Site Safeguard and Management (including Species Management and Protection)
	Objective Four: Maintain and improve the condition of current and potentially suitable Water Vole habitat	Retain and improve bank-side habitats, particularly adjacent to known sites, to encourage the spread of populations and enable the colonisation of currently unpopulated areas	Environment Agency (rivers), British Waterways (canals)				Adopt bank management guidelines by 2003
		Land adjacent to key Water Vole sites to be promoted for inclusion in the Countryside Stewardship Scheme, in particular the creation of riverside buffer strips	Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs		Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group, Wildlife Trust, English Nature, Nene Valley Project		By 2002
		Management plans should be produced for known Water Vole sites	Environment Agency (rivers), British Waterways (canals)		Wildlife Trust		By 2003
		Identify, safeguard and manage suitable potential re-colonisation sites	Environment Agency		Wildlife Trust		Identify suitable sites by 2005
	Objective Five: Encourage re-establishment of the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra). This will have an indirect benefit to Water Voles by reducing the number of mink on sites	Support the Eurasian Otter Species Action Plan. The aim being to use the Otters presence as a buffer against mink predation	Environment Agency		BAP Partners		Throughout Plan Period
5.3	Advisory
	Objective Six: Provide advice for landowners, farmers, fishermen and waterway users on Water Vole habitat requirements and appropriate management	Produce and disseminate guidelines on suitable management of Water Vole habitat and other aspects of Water Vole conservation	Environment Agency		Wildlife Trust, English Nature, Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group		By 2003
5.4	Future Monitoring and Research
	Objective Seven: Determine Water Vole numbers, distribution and habitat requirements across the county. Establish the population trend and identify key sites	The sites assessed as part of the 1998 nationwide baseline survey should be re-checked to identify the remaining strongholds for Water Voles in Northamptonshire	Wildlife Trust		Environment Agency, British Waterways		2003
		Publish the county Mammal Atlas (which will include information on the Water Vole population)	Wildlife Trust				2002
		Develop species recovery targets for Water Vole following initial survey work	Wildlife Trust		County Mammal Recorder, Rivers and Wetlands Group		2002
		Establish a long term monitoring programme at Water Vole strongholds to investigate population trends	Environment Agency		English Nature, Wildlife Trust, UCN		Commence 2002
		Initiate research projects with educational institutions to include studies into habitat requirements, movements, waterway characteristics (water quality and quantity, flow rates etc)	Environment Agency		University College Northampton, other educational institutions		Commencing 2003
	Objective Eight: Consider controlling mink in particular areas in order to remove the immediate danger of extinction of Water Voles	Identify effective methods of Mink control and implement pilot study	Environment Agency		Rivers and Wetlands Group.		By 2006
5.5	Communications and Publicity
	Objective Nine: Use the Water Vole as a Flagship Species to promote the need for river and wetland conservation and as an indicator of a healthy riparian environment	Disseminate Water Volewatch leaflets and other educational material	The Wildlife Trust		Environment Agency		Throughout the Plan period
	Objective Ten: Encourage greater interest and participation in wetland conservation	Deliver training courses run for interested members of the public, riparian management advisors, and local mammal groups	The Wildlife Trust		Environment Agency Local Authorities		Throughout the Plan period
5.6	Review
	Objective Eleven: Review the plan to assess progress, and where necessary update and amend		Environment Agency		BAP Partners		2005
	Objective Twelve: Publicise the progress made in delivering this Action Plan in a BAP Annual Report				BAP Partners		Annually

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