Water voles are being reintroduced to North Devon more than 25 years after being declared functionally extinct in the area in 2000. The National Trust, which announced the news on 29 June 2026, has carried out a major restoration project across the Combesgate catchment at Woolacombe since 2022. The work included creating 20 ponds and scrapes, planting 26,000 trees and sowing 15 hectares of wildflower seed. About 110 voles have been released so far. Paul South of the National Trust called the return "an important moment for nature in North Devon", delivered with the North Devon Coast National Landscape.
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