Water Vole Surveys

Since April 2008 water voles have been afforded full protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Water vole are also a UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) priority species having suffered dramatic population declines over recent decades.

Water voles typically inhabit watercourses with well vegetated banks which offer good cover for their burrows and provide a foraging resource. Burrows can extend up to 5m into banks from the water’s edge. Therefore, even when direct impacts to water courses are not proposed, impacts can result if development works occur in close proximity. Often minor development impacts such as the construction of drainage headwalls or the implementation of new stream side management can be overlooked and surveys to establish the presence or absence of this species are therefore important.

Water Vole Surveys and Assessments

CSa ecologists are experienced at undertaking water vole surveys and assessments and producing water vole mitigation strategies and method statements to avoid impacts to this species. Mitigation typically involves sensitive scheme design and/or techniques to disperse water vole to adjacent suitable habitat to ensure that all reasonable steps are taken to minimise impacts to water voles and their habitat.

Whilst no licence process exists to control impacts to water voles, a special licence must be obtained from Natural England if trapping and translocation of water vole is proposed as part of the mitigation strategy. This approach is generally reserved for situations where significant impacts will occur over a substantial area, such as may be the case with new road crossings or watercourse realignments.

For more information, or to obtain a quote, please email us or call 01386 751100