water vole feeding - photo credit Kenny Crooks
The water vole is one of our fastest declining native mammals, with populations becoming increasingly fragmented along our waterways. With the help of people like you Yorkshire Wildlife Trust is working hard to improve habitats for water vole in South Yorkshire
April 2011 saw the start of the Wildlife on the Waterways project working to protect populations of water vole in the Dearne Valley. Funding from SITA Trust and the Environment Agency has allowed Yorkshire Wildlife Trust to continue work started 2 years before through the Riparian Mammals Project.
The Wildlife on the Waterways project will undertake practical habitat creation and restoration at 3 sites within the project area whilst also working with landowners and the community to build a reliable picture of how water vole, our fastest declining native mammal, is faring. Working with the project partners Barnsley Council, Groundwork Dearne Valley and Wakefield Council, habitat works will be carried out at Barnsley Canal, Athersley Memorial Pond and at the newly restored colliery spoil heap at Rabbit Ings. Works will include ditch creation and restoration, scrub clearance and bank repairs to make these sites more suitable for water vole, and especially to enable these relatively isolated populations to disperse across the countryside and link up with other populations. Creating this improved connectivity will reduce the vulnerability of the individual populations, and is a good example of how The Wildlife Trusts philosophy of Living Landscapes works.
A large version of this project area map is available to download at the bottom of the page.
How to get involved
There are opportunities for members of the public to contribute towards the aims of this project by signing up to survey for water vole and/or help out with habitat management works such as scrub removal. To do this, please email Assistant Project Officer Carys Hutton for more information or call 01302 343556.
Downloads
| Filename | File size |
|---|---|
| Wildlife on the Waterways project area map | 2.84 MB |
