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The water vole. Picture: DARIN SMITH.

THE water vole will now enjoy a better future as a protected species after new proposals announced last month by DEFRA.

This comes a century after The Wind in the Willows was first published and six years after a change in the law was recommended in a review of the Wildlife and Countryside Act in 2002.

It is now against the law to intentionally kill a water vole or intentionally or recklessly damage or disturb the places they use for shelter or protection, making their future a safer one.

The water vole is the UK's fastest declining mammal.

Threatened by habitat loss and predation by the American mink, numbers in the UK have crashed from seven million in 1990 to less than one million in 1998 - and they are falling further still.

Some protection for this endangered animal was introduced in 1998, but this only covered the animal's habitat, leading to confusion and the loss of important water vole colonies.

Graham Roberts, otters and rivers project officer at the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, said: "We're absolutely delighted water voles have finally been given this lifeline.

"Water voles have been lost from many parts of the UK, including areas where they were once widespread, but this excellent news will undoubtedly help our efforts to bring the water vole back from the brink.

"Full legal protection should ensure remaining water vole populations are not damaged during development works, and that incidents of trapping do not go unpunished. Over the last ten years, The Wildlife Trusts have worked closely with the Environment Agency, Natural England, water companies and, most importantly, landowners to ensure the water vole remains a feature of our rivers, streams, canals and other watercourses."

Graham added: "Hampshire and the Isle of Wight has one of the best populations of water vole left in Britain.

"To ensure this continues, we are now exploring mechanisms with our partners to carry out habitat restoration and strategic mink control. This will start with the focus on the River Test this summer."

The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust has been improving wetland habitats and working hard to protect water voles from mink predation.

The charity plans to continue with a host of ambitious plans to be launched this year including the hosting of the national water vole database and mapping Project.

For more information on their work, visit www.hwt.org.uk

10:23am Thursday 13th March 2008

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