Naturally Native

Naturally Native has come to an end.

The project was a joint project between Tees Valley Wildlife Trust, Durham Wildlife Trust and Northumberland Wildlife Trust and finished on 31st December. We are delighted to report that it achieved all its aims: we improved water vole habitat along 11km of riverbank, dug three fantastic ponds, spoke to over 700 school kids and an equal number of adults. And, of course, we removed a lot of mink from the region’s watercourses – 298 all told. So that’s a success. Huge thanks to the Project Team and all the wonderful volunteers who supported us.

The work isn’t finished though. The Trusts still care passionately about water voles and their habitat, and we want to see them regain their former range. That means we need to keep up the pressure on the mink.
The work we all have managed to achieve in aid of water vole conservation in the Northeast is staggering. We had a wonderful team who along with lots of volunteers worked hard to achieve the objectives.

It is not yet over though! Talks are continuing with Natural England, The Wildlife Trusts and other organisations/groups to organise a strategy going forward. With the support of volunteers work is still continuing in terms of Mink control and surveys and some other work and you never now what the future might bring. Well done to everyone involved. We are grateful to the support of National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Who are we?

Naturally Native will stop the decline of our native water voles in the North East of England and ensure they can, once again, thrive along our rivers, streams and ponds.

With thanks to players of the National Lottery, Durham, Northumberland and Tees Valley Wildlife Trusts are working together to prevent the loss of one of our fastest declining species.  

Water voles, once common across the UK, have disappeared from over 95% of their former range leaving the species in a critical state and at threat of being lost completely from the lowlands of the North East.  This drastic decline is the compounding effect of two main causes.  Habitat loss and fragmentation has resulted in contracted, small and isolated populations of water voles which are incredibly vulnerable to the second major cause of decline: predation from introduced American mink. 

Working at a landscape scale to address both these issues, Naturally Native will prevent the inevitable loss of water voles from the lowlands and provide opportunities for this much loved mammal to re-colonies our river, streams and ponds.

What will we achieve?

Between Jan 2021 and October 2023, Naturally Native will be working across the Tyne, Wear and Tees River Catchments, creating a richer environment for wildlife and people.

The project will improve over 10km of riparian habitat and remove American mink to allow remaining water vole populations to expand in size and range. In addition to water voles, a wealth of other native wildlife will benefit including wetland bird populations, invertebrates and fish.  

The Naturally Native team will be working with young people across the North East to build skills and knowledge in local conservation issues. In addition, there will be opportunities for local communities to join in celebrating and enjoying our natural heritage as we work to restore balance within wetland ecosystems and shape a future where wildlife can thrive.