Biodiversity Action Plan
Water Vole
The
water vole is a national BAP species which has limited legal protection for its places of shelter but
currently not for the species itself. They favour well-vegetated banks of ditches, streams, rivers and ponds.
Nationally the species has declined dramatically in the last two decades, with a 90% loss of occupied sites across the country. Threats come from habitat destruction, competition from other species, and predation primarily from introduced mink.
The Derbyshire Wildlife Trust’s water vole recovery project has been working hard across Derbyshire to survey and monitor sites, raise awareness of water voles, carry out practical work to improve habitats, and remove predatory mink from key water vole areas.
More work still needs to be done to prevent the Peak District’s water voles from disappearing.
Water Vole action plan (290KB)
Revised BAP Targets
- Maintain the 2005 range of water vole in the Peak District (199 occupied 1km squares)
- Achieve an increase in range by 14 occupied 1km squares by 2010
- Maintain or increase existing water vole populations at 27 sample monitoring sites by 2010
