Water vole (Arvicola terrestris)
The water vole is a riparian mammal that occurs throughout Britain. It has suffered a long-term decline in Britain, possibly due to habitat degradation; pollution; predation by the introduced American mink; and being mistaken for brown rats. As such, the water vole is now fully protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
Water voles are surveyed each year on the Brackenhurst campus and the population has been shown to fluctuate dramatically between years. A number of students have undertaken final year research projects on water voles and have investigated topics including population dynamics and the impact of flooding on density.
