River Meon Conservation Volunteers (RMCV) have used a grant from the Volunteer Conservation Fund (VCF) to purchase equipment for surveying water voles and otter on camera.
The RMCV care deeply about the beautiful clear waters of the River Meon and work together to monitor and improve the habitat for native species, with regular surveys taking place to review how the reintroduced watervole population is faring.
Working closely with the South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA) and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust (HIWWT) ranger teams, the grant of over £1,900 also enabled the purchase of equipment for river fly monitoring and Himalayan Balsam pulling on the River Meon.
Image: River fly monitoring – credit RMCV
The group with 12 regular volunteers, has helped with invasive plant removal at several sites along the River Meon and completed invertebrate and water quality monitoring at three different sites along the river. Water vole and otter monitoring has taken place at various sites along the river with information fed back to the SDNPA ranger team.
For more information about the RMCV visit – River Meon Conservation Volunteers
Image: Trail camera footage, otter – credit RMCV
Suzanne, a volunteer from Soberton said:
“The main reason I volunteer with the RMCV is I want to do all I can to protect our precious chalk streams. With the practical conservation tasks, I feel that I am actually making a valuable contribution, either through monitoring the health of the river or removing invasive species. From the river fly monitoring work, I have also been amazed by the amount I have learnt from the other knowledgeable volunteers about the variety of invertebrates living in the river. I can now also spot signs of water vole activity on the river bank whereas before I would not have even noticed.”
Marina, a volunteer from Swanmore said:
“I started to volunteer for the RMCV almost one year ago and I feel really grateful for that. One word that I could use to describe it is connectedness. The River Meon is the place where my children played when they were young and it’s still an important feature of our daily life. The connection with the river, its creatures and therefore its health is very important to me. I was once a researcher of zooplankton and taking part in the River Meon monitoring group brings back my old skills. With this group I found passionate and interesting people with whom I share the same aim: doing our part in checking and helping to restore one of the highly diversified chalk rivers in the UK. With the group I have learnt more about the river and I’m extending my knowledge to a variety of wildlife including otters, water voles, beavers and birds. Last but not least the chance to explore parts of the river and surrounding areas that are privately owned or not normally accessible”
In more general terms South Downs Trust has also used the VCF to invest around £5k (2024-25) in three other volunteer-led projects across Hampshire and Sussex:
- supporting tools for managing Bentley Station Meadow nature reserve,
- resotration of chalk grassland at Butser Hill to benefit the Duke of Burgundy butterfly, and
- improved access through new gates, stiles and signage linking the South Downs Way to Bramber Beeches woodland.