Help spot Britain’s fastest declining mammal

RESIDENTS passionate about conservation are being encouraged to search for water voles.

The survey organised by the People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES).

The aim is to discover where water voles are living, how their populations are changing each year, and where they are in most need of help.

Residents wanting to get involved should search for sightings and signs of water voles along riverbanks, canals and other inland waterways until Tuesday, June 15.

PTES builds on survey data gathered since 2015 to create a long-term picture of how water voles are faring.

The charity hopes those who have enjoyed being outside this year will get involved.

Henrietta Pringle, key species monitoring and data officer at the charity, said water voles are Britain’s fastest declining mammal.

“A staggering 90% of the population was lost between the 1980s and 1990s alone,” she said. “So they really need our help. Due to lockdown last spring, we were unable to survey water voles, meaning we now have a gap in our dataset.

“Finding out where water voles are is crucial to their conservation, so now more than ever we need feet on the ground to help us look for these adorable riverside residents to see how they’re faring.”

Water voles used tobea familiar feature of Britain’s inland waterways, but declined in the 80s and 90s when the American mink drove them out of their homes.

Ms Pringle added: “Despite the shocking statistics, knowing the reasons behind the decline means it’s in our power to reverse it. By restoring bankside vegetation and connecting patches of existing habitat across the landscape, water voles can be successfully encouraged to return to our waterways.

“With the help of the public, we hope to better understand where water voles are living so we can best protect them – and hopefully, one day they will become a common sight on our riverbanks again.”

To take part, residents should select one of the 850 pre-selected sites close to their home, which can be found online.

No previous experience is needed, as there are detailed survey guidelines and online training materials online.