Home / Environment / Water Voles Return to River Wey After 20 Years
Water Voles Return to River Wey After 20 Years
2 Jun
Summary
- Water voles, absent for two decades, have been reintroduced to the River Wey.
- Approximately 300 water voles were released as part of a species recovery project.
- The project aims to restore a sustainable population along the River Wey.
Water voles have been successfully reintroduced to the River Wey in Farnham, marking their return after a 20-year local extinction. Approximately 300 of these cherished native animals were released into the town centre’s river.
This significant conservation effort, spearheaded by the National Trust and the Environment Agency, aims to bolster the population of what was once common but is now Britain’s fastest declining mammal. The project seeks to establish a sustainable water vole population along the River Wey’s entire course.
The reintroduction is a vital step in restoring biodiversity. Water voles are ecosystem engineers, supporting other wildlife and promoting rare plant growth. This initiative follows an earlier release near Haslemere last August, with promising early signs of success.
