Wildlife Welfare

Wild Water Vole Habitat Restoration

How habitat restoration and mink control are helping water voles recover across the UK.

Key Facts

Water voles have declined by over 90% in the UK since the 1970s, primarily due to American mink predation
American mink were introduced through the fur trade and are devastating native water vole populations
Mink control combined with riparian habitat restoration produces population recovery
Water voles require dense bankside vegetation and slow-flowing water with suitable burrow substrate

Welfare Considerations

Water vole decline represents ongoing welfare harm at population scale through predation, habitat loss, and population isolation. Individual voles killed by mink experience violent predation events. Mink control and habitat restoration together represent the most impactful dual welfare intervention.

What You Can Do

Support mink control programmes run by local conservation groups on river systems with water voles
Record water vole sightings using the People's Trust for Endangered Species recording app
Create bankside habitat on garden ponds - dense vegetation for cover and burrowing sites