Archived press release

RATTY MAKES A COMEBACK! Top Site for "Wind in the Willows" Water Voles Found in East London

15 February 1999

Surveys of the many ditches that criss-cross the remaining marshlands of East London have found a large breeding population of the endangered mammal. The new findings emphasise the vital role of Rainham Marsh, London's largest wetland Site of Special Scientific Interest, in nature conservation - despite it being threatened by development.

The new study, by ecologist Jon Benge and a team from the University of Hertfordshire,involved two weeks of field work on Rainham Marsh in Havering and the close inspection of over 30 ditches. Signs of water vole activity were found in the vast majority of cases including the presence of “latrines” in many of the ditches - a key indication of a healthy breeding population [1].

Water voles (Arvicola terrestris) were once common throughout much of the country but they have suffered one of the worst declines of any British mammal this century. A recent survey showed that water voles have been lost from a shocking 89% of the sites they once occupied. Over the last decade, the rate of decline has accelerated putting the species on the brink of extinction in Britain [2].

The mammal, immortalised in fiction by the Wind in the Willows character “Ratty”, has been made the subject of a Government “Biodiversity Action Plan” in the hope that its continued decline might be halted. The main causes of the catastrophic decline are habitat loss and the invasion of the American mink (Mustela vison), which can eliminate entire water vole colonies within two years.

“The population of water voles on Rainham Marsh is of county importance, and makes a significant contribution to the water vole population in the south-east. If water vole numbers continue to decrease, nationally, Rainham Marsh, and the Inner Thames Marshes as a whole, will become even more vital”.

Craig Bennett, Wildlife Campaigner at Friends of the Earth said:

“We always knew that Rainham Marsh was an important site for water voles, but we didn't realise it was home to such a large, healthy breeding population of this endangered mammal. These new findings confirm the site as London's top wildlife haven and make a mockery of those who suggest otherwise. Surely even Havering Council will have to think twice about burying such a vital population of water voles under concrete and warehouses”. [3]

NOTES TO EDITORS:

[1] Water vole latrines are usually sited close to the waters edge and are thought to be used by breeding individuals to scent mark within their home range. The presence of latrines along a ditch therefore indicates that a breeding population is present in the immediate area. Latrines were found in 20 of the 33 ditches surveyed on Rainham Marshes, and general signs of water vole activity were found in 25 ditches.

[2] The first national survey of water voles was undertaken by the Vincent Wildlife Trust in 1989-1990. It showed that the species had been lost from 68% of the sites occupied earlier in the century. After a gap of seven years, the Trust have recently undertaken a second national survey and the initial analysis indicates that the decline has reached serious proportions. The rate of decline has accelerated over the last decade, and the loss of water vole populations from previously occupied sites has now reached 89%.

[3] Havering Council has advanced proposals to build warehousing on Rainham Marsh Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The application is supported by the Government's regeneration agency English Partnerships, but opposed by the Government's wildlife advisor English Nature, and by the Environment Agency.

Inner Thames Marshes SSSI, of which Rainham Marsh is part, is by far the largest wetland area in Greater London and is one of the few remaining remnants of the marshes that once fringed the Thames. As well as being home to water voles, the site is also visited by significant populations of teal, short-eared owl, godwit, shoveller and redshank.

More details on SSSIs can be found at www.foe.co.uk/wildplaces

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust