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Water Vole Project

Water voles are native, semi-aquatic rodents, and important landscape engineers; their burrowing and foraging activity plays a vital role in boosting plant growth and diversity along our riverbanks. However, as a result of habitat loss, urbanisation, and predation, they are the fastest declining mammal in the UK. In Wales, their population has dropped by a massive 89%. Despite this staggering figure, there are still populations nearby and they have previously been recorded here at Penllergare. Our water vole project aims to encourage the return of the water vole to our wonderful woodland by addressing the issues contributing to their decline, by creating a safe, secluded, and enriching environment.

We are very pleased to announce that Phase 1 of the water vole restoration project has been completed. With the help of professionals and volunteers who have dedicated hundreds of hours, we have achieved a significant amount of habitat enhancement works. Read below to learn about the important conservation work that we’ve been doing over the past year.

Restoring Water Vole Habitat at Penllergare

Humble Beginnings

Since the setup of our water vole project, we have made some fantastic progress.

Habitat works began in June, and thanks to the help of our dedicated volunteers, we were able to remove excess trees, clear vegetation and widen pathways. This prepared the area ready for an excavator to come in and create a complex habitat of ditches and ponds.
A Place to Call Home

In the summer, a new ditch and pond network was constructed creating 200m of new wetland habitat. This new watercourse has steep earth banks and slow moving water, providing suitable habitat for water voles, as well as a whole host of species groups such as invertebrates, amphibians and aquatic plants. We hope this will encourage colonisation and increase water vole populations.
The Mink Raft

Since the start of the project, the area has been monitored regularly by carrying out field sign searches, and using equipment such as camera traps, footprint tunnels, and water vole rafts. A variety of species have been found inhabiting the area including field vole, wood mouse, woodcock, grey heron, toads, frogs, dragonflies and damselflies.

One species we are keen to look out for is the American mink as
water voles are particularly vulnerable to this non-native mustelid. To monitor and control the presence of mink we deployed mink rafts within the area. These rafts contain a clay padding which is used to detect their footprints.

To-date no mink tracks have been detected.
Habitat Protection

Whilst some of the new wetland area is naturally protected by thick vegetation, Penllergare Valley Woods is a popular dog walking location, welcoming approximately 15,000 visitors a year, so it was vital that this new habitat be given an extra layer of protection.

To restrict access to the area and prevent disturbance, stock fencing (120m) and dead hedging (50m) has been put in place. This will provide additional security, allowing water voles and other wildlife to reside peacefully.
Let There Be light

An essential aspect of a new habitat is access to food. In order to encourage plant growth, trees alongside the riverbank have been thinned allowing more sunlight into the area providing water voles with a wide variety of food, as well as protection from predators.
Sharing is Caring

Education is a key part of our conservation mission and our new interpretation panel spreads awareness of the threatened wetland habitat and its importance to many wetland species, including the water vole, the fastest declining mammal in the UK. This will provide visitors (hopefully all 15,000 of them) with information on our water vole project and the importance of conserving wetland habitats.

Alongside this our Water Vole Officer, Vikki, has taken children from local schools to the wetland habitat teaching them about the water voles and wetlands. This was done with engaging activities such as identifying footprints in the mink raft and using binoculars to identify wildlife on our wetland areas.
What next?

In the next phase of the project we will be restoring even more habitat and extending the wetland area, as well as focusing on habitat enhancement along the river for another protected species, the otter.