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Climate and Nature Fund Case Study: Kernow Conservation
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Water voles, considered at risk nationally, have high ecological importance making them a priority for protection. Following a successful water vole reintroduction project, Kernow Conservation are scaling up their reintroduction and protection efforts for water voles using the Cornwall Climate and Nature Fund.
Often referred to as ‘Water Rats’ due to their similar appearance to rats (Ratty from ‘Wind in the Willows’ was a water vole), water voles are ecologically important and can be considered a keystone species. They are a significant food source for larger species like kestrels, otters and stoats. These voles are also habitat creators for other wildlife along wetland edge environments due to their burrowing and grazing activity.
In Britain, water voles have been recorded to eat 227 different plant species, including grasses, sedges, common reeds, sedges, and rushes, as well as roots, tree bark and fruit during summer months, regularly consuming up to 80% of their body weight daily. This grazing behaviour alters the vegetation composition and structure in the areas they inhabit, promoting a greater diversity of plant species. It also dries out the soil, which promotes microbial activity and regulates nitrogen availability.
Despite their ecological importance, water voles are one of Britain’s fastest declining mammal species. Urban development, intensified farming practices and predation by American mink released from the fur trade, are all factors contributing to the decline of the water vole. Due to their ecological importance, the team at Kernow Conservation have been reintroducing water voles in Cornwall since 2022. Here, they released the first water voles seen for decades in Cornwall at a conservation site near Stithians Lake. This first reintroduction was a success, with evidence, including droppings and sightings in the area being found since.
But the team won’t stop there, and this is where the Climate and Nature Fund comes in:
“Our next step is to scale up our reintroductions to more sites around Cornwall and bring more of these vital members of our ecosystem back to where they belong.
We’ve used the Cornwall Climate and Nature Fund to raise funds for project management, to support the captive breeding of more water voles for release, to identify further suitable sites for reintroductions and to work with local landowners to assess habitat suitability and to monitor American mink in the area for potential reintroduction sites. We also want to work more with local business for the long-term aim of restoring water vole populations across Cornwall and the fund is immensely helpful with enabling us to do all of these things.” David Carrier, Kernow Conservation.
By accessing the fund, Kernow Conservation have been able to raise more than £9,400 for their conservation work for water voles which is vital to ecosystems in Cornwall.
If you have a project that tackles the effects of the climate and ecological emergency, you could receive up to £5,000 in support. Find out more:
Water voles, considered at risk nationally, have high ecological importance making them a priority for protection. Following a successful water vole reintroduction project, Kernow Conservation are scaling up their reintroduction and protection efforts for water voles using the Cornwall Climate and Nature Fund.
Often referred to as ‘Water Rats’ due to their similar appearance to rats (Ratty from ‘Wind in the Willows’ was a water vole), water voles are ecologically important and can be considered a keystone species. They are a significant food source for larger species like kestrels, otters and stoats. These voles are also habitat creators for other wildlife along wetland edge environments due to their burrowing and grazing activity.
In Britain, water voles have been recorded to eat 227 different plant species, including grasses, sedges, common reeds, sedges, and rushes, as well as roots, tree bark and fruit during summer months, regularly consuming up to 80% of their body weight daily. This grazing behaviour alters the vegetation composition and structure in the areas they inhabit, promoting a greater diversity of plant species. It also dries out the soil, which promotes microbial activity and regulates nitrogen availability.
Despite their ecological importance, water voles are one of Britain’s fastest declining mammal species. Urban development, intensified farming practices and predation by American mink released from the fur trade, are all factors contributing to the decline of the water vole. Due to their ecological importance, the team at Kernow Conservation have been reintroducing water voles in Cornwall since 2022. Here, they released the first water voles seen for decades in Cornwall at a conservation site near Stithians Lake. This first reintroduction was a success, with evidence, including droppings and sightings in the area being found since.
But the team won’t stop there, and this is where the Climate and Nature Fund comes in:
“Our next step is to scale up our reintroductions to more sites around Cornwall and bring more of these vital members of our ecosystem back to where they belong.
We’ve used the Cornwall Climate and Nature Fund to raise funds for project management, to support the captive breeding of more water voles for release, to identify further suitable sites for reintroductions and to work with local landowners to assess habitat suitability and to monitor American mink in the area for potential reintroduction sites. We also want to work more with local business for the long-term aim of restoring water vole populations across Cornwall and the fund is immensely helpful with enabling us to do all of these things.” David Carrier, Kernow Conservation.
By accessing the fund, Kernow Conservation have been able to raise more than £9,400 for their conservation work for water voles which is vital to ecosystems in Cornwall.
If you have a project that tackles the effects of the climate and ecological emergency, you could receive up to £5,000 in support. Find out more:
