Cotswold Water Park Water Vole Recovery Project

The Cotswold Water Park Water Vole Recovery Project has been running since 2002 when comprehensive control of non-native American Mink was put in place. This control has proved highly successful, with numbers of mink currently kept consistently low, and as a result, regular comprehensive monitoring has shown that Water Voles are continuing their recolonisation of the Upper Thames corridor through the CWP. Along with these vital elements of the project, we have also engaged in a programme of advising landowners regarding riparian management, in order to improve the habitat for Water Voles – still the UK’s fastest declining mammal species. Linking areas of positive management has allowed populations to expand their range along sections of rivers that previously had barriers through habitat degradation.