Water voles were once common across the whole of the UK but declined due to habitat loss and predation by non-native American mink. In Cornwall, water voles became extinct, with the last confirmed sightings in the 1990s.
This talk will outline the importance of water voles within their ecosystems and the work that Kernow Conservation are doing to reintroduce the first water voles in southern Cornwall, including habitat suitability surveys, habitat improvements and maintenance.
Kernow Conservation is a community-led conservation organisation that was established in 2019. Working with local landowners and organisations, they are involved in a variety of projects across Cornwall and the UK.
Field Studies Council Natural History Live webinars are free online learning experiences for adults, comprising of a 30-40 minute talk from a guest speaker, followed by a question and answer session. We host them on Zoom and we will send out joining instructions on the day of the event. Sign up for the Field Studies Council Biodiversity newsletter to find out about our other online learning opportunities and receive exclusive discounts.
This event can be booked through the Natural History Live webinars Evenbrite page.
Tutor: David Carrier
David Carrier is a conservation biologist, freelance ecologist, trustee of Cornwall Birds and founder of Kernow Conservation. He has previously worked for Butterfly and Moth Societies and Osprey projects with the Wildlife Trust, and his key interests lie in rewilding, species reintroduction and biodiversity monitoring.
Cost
These Natural History Live webinars are made available to all at no cost. If you would like to contribute to the Natural History Live webinar programme you can do so by selecting the option Donation and specify the amount you wish to donate. All donated fees contribute financially towards supporting adult learning opportunities for a range of audiences.. This event can be booked through the Natural History Live webinars Evenbrite page.
Example Timetable
The usual format of Natural History Live virtual events is:
- 5 minute intro by the FSC Biodiversity project team
- 30-40 minute talk presented by guest speaker
- 15-25 minute speaker Q&A session hosted by a FSC staff member
What's Included
Before You Attend
Please note that after booking on to the event:
- You will need to download the Zoom software before we start. This is free and you can do so here: https://zoom.us/
- You can sign into the Zoom test meeting any time before to test if everything is working for you here: https://zoom.us/test
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