Water Vole Survey and Mitigation

Water Vole Survey and Mitigation

We provide water vole surveys, impact assessment, mitigation, displacement and licensing support for developments and works affecting watercourses, ditches and wetlands.

Water voles and the places they use for shelter and protection receive legal protection.

They can occur along rivers, streams, canals, ditches, ponds, lakes, wetlands and some heavily modified or urban watercourses. Suitable habitat may extend beyond the immediate water margin where animals use terrestrial vegetation, refuge areas or connected ditches.

Survey

Our water vole surveys consider:

• Burrows
• Latrines
• Feeding stations
• Lawns
• Footprints and runs
• Actual sightings
• Bankside and aquatic vegetation
• Bank structure
• Habitat connectivity
• Predation and disturbance
• Recent vegetation or channel management

Survey effort depends on habitat extent, seasonal conditions, recent management and the nature of the proposed works. More than one visit may be needed where the consequences of overlooking a population would be significant.

Impact avoidance

We first seek to retain water vole habitat and avoid impacts through:

• Appropriate buffers
• Changes to access and working areas
• Timing of works
• Retention of banks and vegetation
• Sensitive channel and vegetation management
• Maintenance of habitat connectivity
• Pollution and sediment controls

Licensing and mitigation

Where impacts cannot be avoided, possible approaches include licensed displacement, capture and relocation, habitat creation and longer-term management.

Natural England class licences have specific eligibility criteria, timing, methods and registration requirements. The appropriate route depends on the type of work and the nature of the impact.