Water voles returning to West of England's rivers and streams after 20-year absence

In a heartening scene straight out of The Wind in the Willows, water voles – known as “Nature’s Engineers” – are swimming back into waterways in the West of England after more than two decades of absence. Thanks to a pioneering reintroduction initiative led by the West of England Nature Partnership (WENP) in collaboration with Bristol Zoological Society, these beloved semi-aquatic mammals are re-establishing a foothold along the Severn Shoreline Levels and Moors. The project marks a significant step forward for local biodiversity and is part of the region’s broader Severn Shoreline restoration programme.
Made famous by Ratty in Wind in the Willows, water voles are often described as 'nature's engineers' Credit: Tom Marshall

Water voles are returning to rivers and streams in the West Country after a 20-year absence.

The small mammals, often described as 'nature's engineers', are making a comeback to parts of the region including Lawrence Weston moor.

Made famous by 'Ratty' - who is actually a water vole - in The Wind in the Willows, the species was once commonly seem on Britain's rivers and streams.

However, they have been pushed to the brink by predation from non-native American mink, whose unchecked numbers have devastated water vole populations across the UK.

A new initiative by the West of England Nature Partnership (WENP) in collaboration with Bristol Zoological Society, is bringing the voles back to the Severn Shoreline Levels and Moors.

Water voles are mainly found living along rivers, ponds and lakes. Credit: PA

It's part of the region’s broader Severn Shoreline restoration programme, which is focused on reviving critical intertidal habitats, wetlands, and peatlands.

By enhancing watercourses, ditches, rhynes, and wet woodlands, the programme aims to restore the landscape for wildlife, people and climate resilience. It follows the reintroduction of water voles to Exmoor and the Somerset Levels.

It's being paid for by £370,000 from the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority.

Meanwhile, conservationists are working to trap the mink and reduce their threat to vulnerable native wildlife.

The American mink is thought to have been introduced by fur farmers in the 1950s Credit: SNH/PA

The reintroduction effort is off to a promising start, with evidence that even juvenile water voles are breeding, signalling a strong adaptation to their new environment.

Conservationists are monitoring them using floating rafts baited with apples, which the voles are naturally drawn to.

Dan Norris, Mayor for the West of England, said: “The re-introduction of water voles is a very tangible and accessible project and hopefully one that will open the door for everyone in the West of England to get behind the Local Nature Recovery Strategy – which I’m proud to say this region is the first in the UK to launch.

"It brings me great joy to know that a family could go and visit the Lawrence Weston moor, where these beautiful creatures live, and – providing they’ve got a good set of wellies – see something so unique and important."