17 June 2024

Last week, with the help of volunteers, we successfully released a large group of water voles on private land near Stithians in south Cornwall. Using a soft release method the water voles were kept in temporary cages in mating pairs and sibling groups as they acclimatised to their new habitat before being fully released into the wild over the weekend. Funded through Rewilding Europe’s European Wildlife Comeback Fund, this release bolsters and links the two previously released water vole populations in the River Kennall and Upper Cober catchment areas. 

Once common in all of Britain’s waterways, water voles have been missing in the area from the 1990s until we began releasing them in 2022. Water voles are some of the UK’s most endangered mammals; habitat loss and fragmentation, combined with over-predation by invasive non-native species (American mink) pushed them to the brink of extinction in the UK by the end of the last century. Now, through carefully planned reintroduction projects such as this, and ongoing monitoring for mink, the water vole is making a comeback.

Water voles play a vital role in the ecology of the riverbank, grazing on around 227 plant species and around 80% of their body weight daily increases plant diversity. The voles themselves provide an important link in the food chain and their burrow systems increase microbial activity in the soil.

Kernow Conservation's founder and project leader, David Carrier said, “We are pleased to say the release went smoothly and are grateful to our volunteers and partners for their help. This latest batch of water voles will boost biodiversity in the area, join together the populations from two of our previous releases, and enable them to thrive in the region for many years to come.”

Notes to editors:

Kernow Conservation CIC is a nonprofit community interest company based in south Cornwall, working with landowners and funding partners to restore nature and increase biodiversity. Kernow Conservation directors David Carrier and Joe Marshall are available for comment or interview with op-eds available on request regarding all ongoing projects. 

Support our Water Vole Project: DONATE HERE