Nind Nature Reserve () is a nature reserve in

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

.Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust online for Nind Nature Reserve
/ref>Field, J, Dixon G (illustrations), Doe J et al (photography), 2009, 'Managing land for water voles', Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust The site is managed by the

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust The Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust is the Gloucestershire local partner in a conservation network of 46 Wildlife Trusts. The Wildlife Trusts are local charities with the specific aim of protecting the United Kingdom's natural heritage. The Gl ...

and is leased from the landowners. It is a former trout farm. The site and adjacent areas are designated as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS). These are the Nind Trout farm (), an area of adjacent wet woodland () and a stretch of Ozleworth Brook ( to ).'Berkeley Vale Water Vole Recovery Project (2007-2010)', Wetlands West Annual Report 2009/10, Appendix E
The reserve forms part of the Berkeley Vale Water Vole Recovery Project’s habitat enhancement scheme.

Location and habitat

The nature reserve is at Nind, near Kingswood,

Wotton-under-Edge Wotton-under-Edge is a market town within the Stroud district of Gloucestershire, England. Located near the southern fringe of the Cotswolds, the Cotswold Way long-distance footpath passes through the town. Standing on the B4058, Wotton is ab ...

. None of the trout ponds remain; only the back channels currently exist. The site is now managed as a water vole reserve. These creatures are seen and heard in the water channels. It was formally opened in July 2010.1981places/nature/newsid_8779000/8779570.stm 'Haven for water vole opens in Gloucestershire', BBC local report, July 2010
/ref>'Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust opens its newest reserve - a haven for water voles', Wotton-under-Edge local news report, July 2010
/ref>

Legal protection and threats

Water voles are fully protected under Section 9 of the

Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom implemented to comply with European Council Directive 79/409/EEC on the conservation of wild birds. In short, the act gives protection to native species (especia ...

(as amended). This legal protection means that due care must be paid to the presence of water voles.Natural England information on water voles (status and advice)
/ref> The Berkeley Vale Project report indicates the main reasons for the decline in water vole populations. These are given as loss of habitat, isolation of populations, predation by an introduced species (

American mink The American mink (''Neogale vison'') is a semiaquatic species of mustelid native to North America, though human intervention has expanded its range to many parts of Europe, Asia and South America. Because of range expansion, the American mink i ...

), inappropriate river management, draining of wetlands, building development and intensification in agricultural practices. Appendix E of the report summarises the work done on surveying, mink control and habitat restoration and creation schemes.

Restoration

The site was assessed as having unstable water levels. The remaining channels of the old farm were 'leaky'. This resulted in water levels dropping significantly in dry periods. The site was overgrown with alder and there was encroaching scrub. A healthy population of water voles had been identified downstream in the Ozleworth Brook, but the farm area did not provide connectivity. Risks were also identified in respect of predation by mink and colonisation by

rat Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus ''Rattus''. Other rat genera include ''Neotoma'' ( pack rats), ''Bandicota'' (bandicoot ...

s. Restoration work has included stabilising the water levels by replacing the degraded impoundment structures. Some 80-90% of the alder growth has been cutback. Fencing for livestock has been installed downstream to help to provide connectivity with the nearest water vole population. Volunteers have assisted in the work to restore this site and there is an ongoing monitoring programme for the full catchment area.

Other species

Bird life recorded for the site include dippers, kingfishers and

heron The herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 72 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genera ''Botaurus'' and ''Ixobrychus ...

Publications

* Field, J, Dixon G (illustrations), Doe J et al. (photography), 2009, 'Managing land for water voles', Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust * ‘Nature Reserve Guide – discover the wild Gloucestershire on your doorstep’ - 50th Anniversary, January 2011, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust

References

{{Reflist, 2

External links

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust

Wetlands West (formerly the Severn and Avon Vales Wetlands Partnership)

Water voles, their habitat, national projects

Image: Panpipes of Vole Island - geograph.org.uk - 2608839.jpg, Water vole eating Image:Water Vole at The Mayfly - geograph.org.uk - 468712.jpg, Water vole emerging from burrow Image:Water Vole - geograph.org.uk - 1053128.jpg, Water vole sitting on a branch in the water Image: Water Vole Burrows - geograph.org.uk - 847563.jpg, Water vole burrows Image:Water Vole (Arvicola terrestris) - geograph.org.uk - 71951.jpg, Water vole swimming Image:Swindon, Rushy Platt Nature Reserve - geograph.org.uk - 599709.jpg, Water vole habitat, Wiltshire Wildlife Trust Nature Reserve Image:The Pilhill Brook, Abbotts Ann - geograph.org.uk - 1170226.jpg, Typical habitat for water voles Image:Ridgemoor Brook - 1 - geograph.org.uk - 1273558.jpg, Typical habitat for water voles Image: Water vole conservation project, Allt a Mharcaidh - geograph.org.uk - 1774911.jpg, Project work for water vole protection Image:Water Vole Colony near Allt Ruighe an t-Sìdhein Watershed - geograph.org.uk - 1234698.jpg, Water vole colony site Nature reserves in Gloucestershire Cotswolds