Water voles are the UK's fastest declining mammal. Habitat management and predator control are critical for their welfare and survival in a landscape heavily impacted by human activity.
Water vole welfare is primarily determined by predation pressure and habitat quality. American mink predation causes acute welfare harm - water voles fleeing mink or killed in their burrows experience fear and pain. Habitat degradation from cattle poaching and flood management removes the cover that enables escape from predators and the burrow systems that provide breeding sites. Conservation interventions that control mink populations and restore riparian vegetation directly reduce predation-related welfare harm. Supporting water vole recovery projects addresses individual welfare and population conservation simultaneously.