‘Ratty’ returns to bonnie banks and beyond
Rare mammals absent from the Loch Lomond and Trossachs area for almost 20 years have returned following a successful reintroduction project.
Water voles are back in former territory thanks to a nine-year scheme led by Forest Enterprise Scotland (FES).
It involved the release of more than 1000 water voles between 2008 and 2011, which has resulted in the animals being present at more than 50 sites – some of which are up to seven and a half miles away from the original release area in the Trossachs.
Their return is due to the control of non-native American mink which fed on the voles who provided the model for Ratty, the much-loved character in The Wind in the Willows.
FES Aberfoyle habitats manager Katy Anderson described the project as “a phenomenal success.”
She commented: “Water voles in the Trossachs have become a flagship for conservation in this area and the project has attracted a lot of volunteer support and been a great project for local schools to engage with.
“We have effectively remodelled the landscape to benefit the water voles – everything from restoring wetlands to creating new riparian areas.
“We cleared non-native trees from burn-sides to allow vegetation to recover, built over 100 ponds and made dams.
“We also dug many miles of ditches and sowed wetland seed mixes to enhance the forest for wildlife.
“Thanks to the successful efforts of all the partners, water voles are really well-established in the Trossachs. That’s a very good indication of the health of the wetlands that have been restored. This is undoubtedly one of the most successful projects of its type in the UK.”
The project now serves as a template for other water vole reintroduction projects and has made it through to the shortlist in the RSPB Nature of Scotland Awards, which will be decided on November 23.
A significant part of the success of the water vole reintroduction is down to the removal, monitoring and ongoing management of American mink. Together with habitat loss, mink predation had seen water voles eradicated from the Trossachs by the mid-1980s.
As well as land manager Forest Enterprise Scotland, the partnership includes Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority, Scottish Natural Heritage, Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, Derek Gow Associates and the Kilgarth Development Company. Forth Fisheries Trust has also joined the partnership.
This is undoubtedly one of the most successful projects of its type in the UK