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Water vole (Arvicola terrestris) is a vegetarian rodent that lives in small colonies in burrows within the banks of rivers and other wetland habitats. Once a mammal commonly found throughout the UK, water vole is now the fastest declining mammal species in the UK. This is largely due to predation by North American mink, which is an invasive species, and habitat loss. Water vole is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 which makes it an offence to kill, injure, capture, or disturb water voles, or to damage or destroy the habitats they use for shelter and protection. Some actions that are prohibited by the above legislation can be made lawful on granting of a licence by the appropriate statutory authority, although development affecting water vole habitat is not licensable, and a mitigation strategy would need to be implemented to avoid impacts to the species. Water vole surveys are not as seasonally constrained as many other protected species but surveys are generally undertaken between April and September. GreenLink Ecology Ltd is able to undertake all aspects of water vole survey work, including preliminary site investigations, licence applications and mitigation schemes. If you think water vole may be a constraint to your project, or have been asked to commission a water vole survey by the Local Planning Authority, contact us. |
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