Water voles return to River Wey after more than two decades away
The National Trust has released hundreds of water voles into Surrey's River Wey, marking the first time in over 20 years the species has been present in the county.
A triumph for local wildlife
It's wonderful news for nature lovers in Epsom and across Surrey: water voles are returning home. The National Trust has released hundreds of these charming creatures back into the River Wey, marking a significant moment for conservation in our region. For more than twenty years, water voles had been locally extinct in Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire, but that has now changed.
On Monday, June 1st, the National Trust and its partners released 300 water voles into the North Wey between Farnham and Froyle, right in Farnham Town Centre. This represents the second phase of a planned series of releases across the 87-mile catchment, with an earlier batch having been introduced near Haslemere in August.
Why water voles matter
These small, semi-aquatic rodents might not be household names, but they play a vital role in our riverside ecosystems. Perhaps you know them better from Kenneth Grahame's beloved 1908 novel The Wind in the Willows, where the character Ratty is actually a water vole, not a rat at all. In the real world, water voles are crucial for biodiversity, providing food for struggling predators like barn owls and otters, and helping reshape habitats through grazing, which in turn creates space for rare plants to grow.
The road to extinction and back
Unfortunately, water voles have faced a dramatic decline. The species experienced an estimated 93 per cent population decline in England during the 20th century, a trend that has continued since. The primary culprit has been predation by North American mink, which escaped from fur farms in the 20th century and have devastated water vole populations alongside other wildlife such as kingfishers and sand martins.
This has led the National Trust to describe water voles as "Britain's fastest declining mammal". However, the organisation is determined not to accept that outcome, and neither are the people of our community.
A collaborative effort
What makes this project truly special is the collaborative spirit behind it. The National Trust, Environment Agency and various landowners across the River Wey catchment have come together to reverse the decline. From residents with a small stretch of river at the bottom of their garden to major landowners and conservation organisations, people across the landscape are taking positive action.
David Elliott, National Trust Lead Ranger for the South Downs West, spoke passionately about the project: "The water vole is a species that used to be common. The disappearance of the rare is what often grabs people's attention, but the disappearance of the common is what we should all care about."
This reintroduction project will cover an area of over 1000 square kilometres across Surrey and Hampshire, demonstrating how citizens, organisations and communities working together can make meaningful change happen across a whole landscape.
It's a reminder that even in challenging times for wildlife, hope and positive action can bring species back from the brink of local extinction.
Source: Water voles return to Surrey's River Wey after being 'extinct' in area for two decades