New ponds for water voles

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Click here if you have seen a water vole!

Ponds with an adequate depth of water and soft steep or stepped banks fringed with lush vegetation can provide good homes for water voles. The shape of the land, the nature of the substrate and the presence of existing watercourses nearby may all determine your pond design. For example, if your land is on clay soils, you may be able to excavate a pond that will naturally retain water. Water from a nearby stream could be used to feed a pond, or it may even be possible to create a pond on the line of an existing stream. A complex of ponds will be of more interest and value, if you have the space.

When choosing a site, avoid areas that already have wildlife interest, and check the location of service cables and drains. Select an open area away from overhanging trees. Design the pond so that it has a varied shoreline and bank profile, with steeper bank sections for water voles and shallow sloping sections to provide suitable habitat for invertebrates such as dragonflies and damselflies.

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