The Habitat Group is a collection of around 80 community members across the South Hams that have come together over a common interest of protecting their local nature. We recently met with Sue Hadow from the group, who has been actively involved with their exciting water vole reintroduction project to find out more about their recent activities. 

“It began when three of us went on a water vole course at Derek Gow's site in mid Devon. We came away feeling inspired, wondering if our local River Gara could provide sufficient habitat for a reintroduction”, said Sue. Seeking advice and expertise from Derek, the group pursued the idea and eventually obtained the majority of funds with a Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) grant, the rest being raised through various different methods by The Habitat Group. 

With a diverse range of skills, connections, and expertise offered through their members, the group was lucky to have a contact who knew the River Gara well, and who was happy to approach many of the local landowners with suitable riverside habitat to gauge their response to the project. “Most of the people we approached were very supportive and we gradually built up a picture of possible release sites which were mostly on private land. This all took time and we did have a few setbacks along the way.”. The main challenges for the group were finding sites with suitable habitat for a release, and access to sites for monitoring when they flooded in the extreme weather. 

The Habitat Group have undertaken a few surveys following the releases, which have found positive evidence of continued water vole activity. On one of the sites, they reported that vegetation appears to be becoming more diverse as a result of their presence, which they hope will overall support a greater range of wildlife using the habitat. There will be further surveys planned for the Autumn and Spring to see how the voles are getting on post-release. 

“I think that the success of the project has contributed greatly towards a 'can do' attitude amongst the members of the group, who are embarking on new projects with confidence” Sue tells us. “We have all – members, landowners and local communities – learnt about the role and needs of the water vole as a keystone species, as a result of the project”.