Water vole populations have declined due to habitat loss, pollution and the introduction of non-native, American mink.
The project is funded by the Environment Agency who are also providing expert advice on creating the right conditions to reintroduce water voles next year. We’re also working alongside students and potentially undergraduates from Reaseheath College and University Centre Reaseheath in Cheshire, who will be carrying out research and monitoring of the area.
Two parallel ditches and a pond on an Attingham Estate tenant farm, is being enhanced to provide the ideal habitat for a water vole population to thrive in. Working with the tenant, the rich silt removed from the reinstated ditches will be spread on farmland.
Only materials from the estate have been used within the ditches, including the installation of dams and shelves along the water corridor to provide the water depth and areas needed for a water vole population.