Water Voles

Water voles (Arvicola amphibius), have undergone a decimating decline in Britain and the animals and their burrows while occupied are now fully protected under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended). Once a common sight throughout Britain, water voles are now rare enough to warrant this level of protection and reintroduction projects are being undertaken across the country.

Water voles inhabit the margins of slow-flowing water courses, such as drainage ditches as well as ponds or lakes. In the past ten years we have undertaken several surveys for the species and if they are an issue with respect to your development we can assist you with this legally protected mammal.

How we can help:

Presence/Absence surveys
Habitat surveys
Distribution surveys
Habitat management and enhancement advice
Development appraisals
Licence applications
Mitigation schemes

We offer Water Vole surveys in the following areas:

Brecon Beacons, Powys, Cardiff, Monmouthshire, Swansea, Herefordshire, Merthyr Tydfil, Newport, Carmarthenshire, Bridgend, Neath Port Talbot, South Wales, Ceredigion, Bristol, Vale of Glamorgan, Somerset, Caerphilly, Torfaen, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Pembrokeshire, Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Shropshire, Blaenau Gwent, Forest of Dean, Devon and Gower.

Water vole habitat management and enhancement advice

Did you know?

Did you know that 'Ratty' from 'Wind in the Willows' is a water vole?

We are an ecological consultancy based in South Wales, which provides a wide range of ecological surveys and services with respect to British mammals and other protected species. We regularly carry out bat surveys, preliminary ecological appraisals, reptile surveys and great crested newt surveys, so we do a lot more than just mammals! As mammal specialists, we also regularly carry out badger surveys, otter surveys and we also provide water vole surveys. Whether you need a white-clawed crayfish survey, ecological input into an Environmental Impact Assessment or any other type of ecological work, we are here to help.

As a small but well resourced and staffed company we can cover all of South Wales, mid- and West Wales and the South West of England. We carry out bat surveys in Cardiff, preliminary ecological appraisals in Newport, otter surveys in Brecon, great crested newt surveys in Herefordshire and many more. Our expertise stretches to everything involved in the planning process, whether it is a bat survey for a barn conversion or a phase 1 habitat survey/preliminary ecological appraisal for a new plot. We also provide ecological management plans, method statements and of course we do bat or any other protected species licence, should you require one as part of your project.