A WILDLIFE trust has launched an appeal to raise funds for the protection of one of Hampshire’s most endangered species - the water vole.

More affectionately recognised as ‘Ratty’ from Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows, the water vole is one of the fastest declining mammals in Britain.

The numbers of these creatures have dropped by more than 85% since 1990, and are still falling.

This dramatic decline in the population is due to a number of factors, including habitat loss, pollution and changes in waterway management.

The introduction of the American mink, a voracious predator of water voles, has also accelerated the decline.

The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust's Water Vole Rescue Appeal aims to raise £55,000 to carry out a range of measures to help and protect the water vole.

These include surveys of rivers and streams to identify vulnerable populations, river bank improvement work, trial reintroduction projects and giving advice to land owners for better riverside management.

Graham Roberts, otters and rivers project officer at the trust, said: “Water voles have been severely reduced in many parts of Hampshire, including areas such as the Meon, Hamble and Whitewater valleys and the New Forest, where they were once widespread.

"This appeal will undoubtedly help our efforts to bring the water vole back from the brink.”

Visit www.hwt.org.uk for more information about the appeal and how to make a donation.