Why do I need a water vole survey?
Water voles and their burrows, are protected by UK law. The reason being their numbers have declined, and habitat range has shrunk.
If you have evidence, suitable habitat (e.g. watercourse) or suspect water voles on or near your site then please get in touch for our professional help.
Contact Greenwillows Associates Ltd. by clicking the ‘Contact Us’ button below or go to the main menu above.
What happens in a water vole survey?
Survey Timing
Typically surveys occur from April to the end of September. Two surveys may be needed to account for changes in water vole population and their breeding season.
Habitat Suitability Assessment
A habitat suitability assessment is made to see if your site can support water voles. Our ecologists record and map key features, such as water flow velocity and pollution.
Field Signs Survey
Our ecologists look for signs of water vole presence, including latrines (dropping piles), burrows, feeding signs and footprints.
Report
The survey results are written up is part of an Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA) report or a species specific impact assessment report. Subsequently, if water voles are present, we will include mitigation and compensation measures to reduce impacts on this species.
Water Vole Mitigation – what does this involve?
Our report will detail mitigation measures, including how to avoid disturbing water voles and damaging or disturbing active burrows. The report will set out if you need a licence to carry out the recommendations.
You will need to obtain a licence if your work is going to impact water voles that would otherwise be illegal. Our team can advise and support you in the licence application process. Go to the Mitigation Licence webpage for further details.
