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water vole

Services

Water Vole Habitat Assessments

Water Vole Presence/Absence Surveys

Water Vole Mitigation Schemes

Detailed Assessments and Reports to Support Planning Applications

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Legislation

Water voles are fully protected under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended). Under the Act it is an offence to intentionally kill, injure, or capture a water vole, recklessly damage, destroy or obstruct access to any structure or place used for shelter or protection, or to recklessly disturb wild water voles whilst occupying a structure or place used for that purpose.

Habitat

The water vole lives along rivers, streams and ditches, around ponds and lakes, and in marshes, reedbeds and areas of wet moorland.

survey

Water vole habitats are typically found along well vegetated banks of slow flowing rivers, ditches, dykes and lakes. In recent times habitat loss and degradation has caused the decline, fragmentation and isolation of water vole populations. To combat these issues, full legal protection for the water vole was granted in 2008. If water voles are present or suspected to be present on a proposed development site, the required surveys will enable the production of mitigation proposals suitable for a planning application.

survey timings

Water vole surveys involve inspecting the banks of the water body for the presence of field signs. As water voles are less active above ground during the winter the optimum time to survey is between April and October.

Contact Us

For more information on Water vole Surveys, or to discuss a specific project, contact our office on 0845 463 4404.
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