A wildlife charity has plans to reintroduce a long gone resident to the banks of river Wandle.
London Wildlife Trust was awarded £58,000 by Natural England through Defra’s Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF) to assess the feasibility of reintroducing the water vole or water rat to the urban river.
The new study along the Wandle found some areas of habitat were already ideal for reintroducing water vole, and with some work, additional stretches of the river could be improved to support a healthy water vole population.
Emily Brennan, the trust’s director of biodiversity conservation, said: “The River Wandle is one of London’s most valuable green spaces for people and wildlife, and it is fantastic news that its importance has been recognised by funders such as ALSF.
“The area has been identified as one of our priority Living Landscape schemes, and this funding will be invaluable in enabling London Wildlife Trust to reintroduce the water vole to the Wandle.”
Reintroducing water voles to the area is a key aim of the trust’s plan to create a living landscape for the Wandle Valley.
The water vole, or arvicola terrestris, is Britain’s fastest declining mammal – 95 per cent of the British population has been lost over the past century, mainly due to habitat loss and predation by the American mink.
London Wildlife Trust is working with landowners, local authorities, other organisations and volunteers to save existing populations of water vole across London and encourage new ones, either by creating habitat for them to move into, or by reintroducing them to suitable sites to increase their population across the capital.
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