The water vole is Britain’s fastest declining mammal. A favourite character in the children’s classic The Wind in the Willows, the water vole has lost 95% of its numbers since 1900. Largely due to habitat destruction and the introduction of a voracious predator, the American mink. This is a national campaign being undertaken by many wildlife conservation groups around the country. Water voles haven’t been seen in the Thames in the Goring Gap for over 30 years, although the occasional report of a sighting is a possibility as there have been some successful recovery programmes along the river, both upstream and downstream of the Goring Gap. When resources permit, GGEO could join other local teams in supporting BBOWT’s project.