Water voles have been pushed to the margins of Essex, mostly along the coast, but were once common along all our rivers. They are miniature ecological engineers, creating burrows and habitat niches for other plants and animals.
Essex Wildlife Trust has been at the core of water vole recovery since 2007 and managed to save the last water voles in our population by keeping mink numbers low in sensitive areas. Now, we are part of a regional-scale effort from the Humber to the Thames, removing mink and making our waterways safe for water voles and many other birds and animals.
The story so far
We have been working for just under two decades to support water vole recovery in Essex and the wider region. Recent conservation efforts through this project have meant we have halved mink numbers in just 10 months. In 2023, Suffolk Wildlife Trust was declared a 'mink free region', and we are hoping that Essex isn't far behind, aiming to be virtually mink free by the end of 2026.