Endangered water voles have returned to a Lake District valley.
A total of 75 of the little mammals have been given a new lifeline following their successful introduction to Ennerdale valley by Forestry England in partnership with West Cumbria Rivers Trust.
It followed three years of preparation and represents a crucial step in rebuilding populations in the area and wider county.
The water voles, sourced from The Derek Gow Consultancy Ltd., are now in temporary enclosures in the Ennerdale valley as they acclimatise to their new home.
They will be carefully fed by Forestry England staff over the next few days before being allowed to explore the area gradually, with the enclosures fully removed shortly after.
Once widespread across UK waterways, water voles have suffered dramatic population decline since the 1970s due to habitat loss and predation by invasive American mink, with a key part of this project keeping the Ennerdale valley free from the predator.
Ahead of this week’s release, Forestry England established a network of mink traps to catch the invasive predators before they enter the valley to create a safer habitat.
West Cumbria Rivers Trust have also worked with landowners and volunteers throughout the catchment to extend the trapping network along the River Ehen to target the source mink population.
Water voles play a vital role in waterway ecosystems, they graze and burrow, open up spaces for a greater diversity of vegetation to grow, move nutrients and create more suitable habitats for insects, amphibians, small mammals and reptiles.
They form part of the wider food chain and are eaten by many other native species, supporting foxes, otters, stoats, weasels, herons and birds of prey.
Hayley Dauben, species reintroduction project officer at Forestry England said: “Although all translocations have many uncertainties, we are confident that this restored mire is excellent habitat for water voles, providing a good food supply and higher chance of evading predators.
“Our monitoring shows no permanent mink population in the area, though mink do occasionally visit from elsewhere.
“Our traps are working successfully in the River Ehen catching mink before they enter the valley, and we’ve seen no signs of mink upstream of Ennerdale Water. West Cumbria Rivers Trust have added a critical buffer and made positive steps towards eradicating mink in West Cumbria.”
Izzie Mullin, invasive species project officer at the West Cumbria Rivers Trust said: “This release is an exciting milestone for Ennerdale and for Cumbria.
“By working with landowners and dedicated volunteers to keep mink numbers down along the River Ehen, we’re giving water voles the best possible chance to thrive here once again.
“These charismatic creatures are a vital part of our rivers and their return shows what’s possible when communities and organisations pull together to restore nature.”
Looking ahead, Forestry England will monitor the water voles’ movements to make sure they can connect to other suitable habitats as populations increase.
The release forms part of national conservation efforts to restore native species populations, building on Forestry England’s previous work including the ‘Restoring Ratty’ project in Northumberland and other initiatives across the country.
