Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the water vole population in England.

The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 makes it an offence to kill, injure or take water vole as well as to damage places of shelter or disturb the species while occupying such places.

Where proposed operations may put water voles or their habitat at risk, it is necessary for a licence to be obtained from Natural England before those operations can proceed. Natural England assesses any applications it receives to ensure that licences are granted only where the impacts will not threaten the local conservation status of the species.

Additionally, Natural England is developing a pilot Species Conservation Strategy for water voles in East Anglia. Enacted by the Environment Act 2021, Species Conservation strategies will identify the most important actions to protect and improve the conservation status of threatened species and enable the regulatory approach to fit the strategic priorities for the species.