Fife LBAP Water Vole Conservation Project Update

 

 

 

Who’s Involved

The project is carried out in partnership with Fife Council, Scottish Natural Heritage, Fife Biodiversity Partnership, Noblecastle and the voluntary support of local farmers and land managers.  Implementation, management and consultancy is provided by Noblecastle on behalf of the partnership.

What’s Involved

Investigation

To establish a benchmark against which to measure progress we need to establish the extent and quality of water vole habitat in Fife.  Over the life of the project 594 surveys (as at July 2006) have been carried out detailing the occurrence of water voles and habitat descriptions of favourable sites.

Practical Habitat Management

Habitat degradation is a major threat to water voles and we have selected and enhanced three sites with potential to support water voles.

· Seeding project at Tentsmuir  - Patrick Bowden-Smith, Noblecastle ,  has developed a mix of seed that provides both food and habitat that are the water voles’ preferred choice. The seed is sewn using a specialist low ground pressure kit and cultivation machinery developed by Patrick. The site is undergoing monitoring for both sward development and vole population increase.

· Tarvit Mill — here there is suitable habitat for vole with a population downstream, threatened by large levels of disturbance. On resolution of access agreements work will be completed on management of the habitat.

· St Andrews -  a third habitat project is underway to manage vegetation and cattle poaching at a site that is deteriorating for water voles.

Mink Control* by Trapping

A second major  threat is predation by feral American mink - water voles provide 32.3% of the mink diet and a crucial part of the project is effective control of the mink population. 

There is a lag in numbers recorded however at the last count, August 2006, around 200 mink have been trapped and humanely disposed of  in Fife. This represents one of the most effective mink control programmes in the UK and meets the requirements of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, the principle mechanism for the legislative protection of wildlife in Great Britain.  The Act (Section 14) prohibits the release of non-native species into the wild thus preventing threat from exotic species to our native wildlife. American mink (Mustela vison) is amongst the populations of non-native species that have become established in the wild in Britain. The legislation does not prohibit the capturing of these animals but makes re-releasing them an offence.

238 traps are in use across 53 farms. The traps were bought by the partnership and loaned to farmers to enable them to trap mink. This involves monthly visits by the consultant to provide advice, collect record sheets, troubleshoot and drop off bait to existing and new participants in the current programme. Traps are checked on a daily basis in accordance with legal requirements and welfare good practice. The time and effort of the farmers and land managers is voluntary and we place great importance in ensuring that contact and support is maintained until the mink population is brought under control.

Expert training and support has been provided to all land managers involved.

* Animal welfare aspecs of this project have been thoroughly investigated and the project has the support of the SSPCA and the local Police Wildlife Liaison Officers.

Design Innovation

During the project Patrick Bowden-Smith, Noblecastle has developed a tracking system to show evidence of mink presence so that trapping can be carried out strategically. This is now being used by other programmes as a model. Patrick has also developed the trapping system to make it more simple, transportable and easy to use. Further developments have been bait innovation and drip feed systems.