New project gives Norfolk's water voles a lifeline - Norfolk Wildlife Trust

Norfolk Wildlife Trust has launched a new project, funded by Natural England and working in partnership with the Norfolk Rivers Trust, to help water voles thrive once more throughout the Wensum and Yare rivers.

Thanks to £25,000 funding from Natural England, Norfolk Wildlife Trust, alongside Norfolk Rivers Trust, is embarking on a research project that holds the key to a brighter future for Norfolk's water voles.

Water voles were once commonplace throughout Norfolk's waterways but suffered a dramatic decline in the last half of the twentieth century. A major factor in this was predation by mink, a species which has now largely disappeared across Norfolk.

We've also seen a loss of suitable habitat - water voles need ditches and rivers that have places to burrow and hide, as well as plenty of food from reeds, rushes and bankside vegetation.

The project will first find out more about where small populations of these furry, river-dwelling species currently live within the Wensum and Yare rivers.

Data recorded using surveys and computer models will help identify where new water vole habitat can be created to help the isolated populations reconnect with each other.

Helen Baczkowska, Norfolk Wildlife Trust's Conservation Research and Evidence Manager, explained: 'The recent near eradication of mink in Norfolk creates a unique opportunity to return the species to its former glory throughout Norfolk's waterways.