Charismatic neighbour is giving us a warning about our environment

Aug 19 2008 by Francesca Craggs, The Journal

CUTE but endangered mammals are being given a helping hand on Tyneside.

A project is under way to increase numbers of water voles in North Tyneside by improving their habitats. The water vole is one of the UK’s best-loved but also endangered creatures which lives around the banks of rivers, ditches and streams.

Often mistaken for rats, voles are suffering from building developments which destroy their habitat and food sources and prevent them getting from one area to another. Far from being a creature solely of the countryside, water voles are widely found in urban areas, around streams and burns in people’s back yards.

And that means humans have to be careful that their activities are not harming the little fellas, which are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. A survey carried out in 2002 found 15 water vole sites in North Tyneside. Four years later that number had dropped to seven and conservation bosses knew action had to be taken to prevent further decline.

Earlier this year work started on the Wallsend Burn, which experts hope will encourage voles from a nearby stronghold in Wallsend to migrate into the area. The Wallsend Burn runs along the border of North Tyneside and Newcastle through Benton, past the Inland Revenue and other offices, into Wallsend.

One side of a 500m stretch of the Burn was cleared of hawthorn shrubs which were growing too thick and blocking out the light, while the other side was left with plenty of vegetation to provide food and shelter to the voles. About 3,000 aquatic plants were put along the cleared bank of the stream, with the help of green wardens and volunteers from the Youth Offending Team.

And a fence was put up to keep horses from a nearby field from damaging the banks of the burn where voles make their burrows. All this work was done between February and April this year and council officers hope the fruits of their labour will soon be revealed. They are also in discussion with the Environment Agency over the possibility of extending the work done to the burn along a larger area.

North Tyneside Council’s biodiversity officer Jackie Hunter said: “From the surveys, we found we were losing water voles from some areas. We knew we had to take action to get the water voles back into the areas where they previously were as well as to make other sites available to them.

“There are various reasons why water vole populations are declining, both regionally and nationally. Their habitat needs to be managed properly and things like building developments, pollution and predation can affect them. There are targets locally and nationally to prevent the loss of important habitats and species. We can’t stop things declining and being lost unless we do it at local level.

“If we don’t do something, we will lose the water voles – if they are unable to feed and breed, we might not be able to get them back. They are a real key species and reflect the state of our environment, so they’re a good indicator that we’re not managing it properly at the moment.

“A lot of the Wallsend Burn hadn’t been managed because it was in quite a difficult area. Between North Tyneside and Newcastle City Council we decided to do something with a stretch of the burn because we still have a water vole population in Wallsend and we hoped by improving the burn we could encourage them to move back in. Of course, the work also improves the habitat for other creatures, such as nesting birds and invertebrates in the stream.”

Interactive Geographic Information System maps have been compiled of areas in North Tyneside where evidence of voles has been found. Other water vole sites include the Longbenton Letch and the Brierdene Burn at Backworth.

Jackie said: “What would be really good is if residents see water voles they contact us and let us know where they’ve seen them. If we know where they are, we can do things to protect their habitats and look at ways to make improvements in areas nearby. The more we know about them, the more we can help them.

“Residents can also help by doing litter picks in their area. And if people are really keen to get involved, we are always happy to work with members of the community.”

Environment Agency biodiversity technical specialist Fiona Morris said: “Habitat improvements such as these are vital if we are to keep this charismatic species in the North East.

“We are working with North Tyneside Council to see if we can do even more to increase the amount of habitat suitable for water voles. This will give the existing population an opportunity to expand and a much better chance of survival.”

If you would like more information on how you can help water voles in North Tyneside contact (0191) 219-2388.