Staffordshire Wildlife Trust is playing a very important role in a new national programme to restore England's rare, white-clawed crayfish.

Led by The Wildlife Trusts, the programme is the largest coordinated recovery effort ever undertaken for the species and aims to reverse the dramatic loss of the UK's only native freshwater crayfish.

Around 40 partner organisations are collaborating on the project including conservation organisations, researchers and environmental agencies.

Staffordshire Wildlife Trust said: "Threats to the species include the deterioration of habitat and increased pollution.

"The spread of invasive non-native American signal crayfish has also destroyed native crayfish populations.

"White-claws are key river ecosystem engineers, recycling dead matter and improving water quality.

"They also play an important role in river ecosystems as a food source for otter, heron and eel, while young crayfish provide food for brown trout and salmon."

Great efforts are being made to help safeguard populations in Staffordshire but a coordinated national response is needed to recover their population at scale.

The programme is supported by funding from Natural England's Species Recovery Programme and matched by substantial contributions from project partners.

Nick Mott, Species Recovery Manager at Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, said: "This is an exciting step in securing a future for white-clawed crayfish.

"For more than 25 years we've worked with a great set of landowners and partners to bring them back from the brink of extinction.

"Our collective knowledge and expertise will be helpful as we play a lead role in this new joined-up effort.

"The Trust will be the main point of contact for the whole of the Midlands, providing advice, guidance and support to project partners."

Over the next three years, the project will monitor surviving populations and assess threats and opportunities.

It will also work to restore populations in areas where they used to be found.

Specific work in Staffordshire will include:

• Establishing new ark sites - safe havens for white-clawed crayfish, free from the threat of American signal crayfish.
• Habitat work - adding wood and stone to streams and lakes to create crayfish reefs. Plus adding brushwood bundles into margins (stream banks). Both will provide crayfish with cover so they can feed and breed safely.
• Creating hatcheries - so young crayfish can be safely raised. These facilities will also be used to keep crayfish in quarantine before relocation. This will make sure they're disease free before they're released in new areas - critical to establishing healthy new populations.

Stan Smith, head of nature and species recovery at The Wildlife Trusts, says: "This programme represents a significant milestone for white-clawed crayfish conservation.

"For the first time we have the opportunity to coordinate action at a national scale.

"Through targeted nature recovery efforts, breeding and reintroduction, and innovative research, we can give this iconic native species a lifeline.

"Together we're giving white-clawed crayfish the best possible chance to thrive once more."