Frog, snail and moth protected

The Fisher's Estuarine moth only eats the Hog's Fennel plant

A moth threatened by rising sea levels, a rare frog and an aquatic snail have all been granted legal protection.

The Fisher's estuarine moth, which is found only on the coasts of north-east Essex and north Kent, is one of the most threatened species in the UK.

The lesser whirlpool ram's-horn snail, which is rarely more than 5mm across, is restricted to a few locations in Norfolk, Suffolk and Sussex.

The pool frog nearly died out in the 1990s and lives at one site in Norfolk.

The three species will be protected from being killed, taken, injured, disturbed, owned or sold, or having their resting or breeding places destroyed.

If we hadn't stepped in to create new areas of hog's fennel away from the threat of rising sea levels this beautiful moth would have struggled to survive

Sarah Brockless

The Fisher's estuarine moth, which was discovered in the UK in the 1960s, has a total population estimated at between 1,000 and 5,000.

Its range is limited to areas of hog's fennel - the sole food source of the Fisher's estuarine caterpillar.

But a partnership between conservationists and landowners is attempting to establish new habitats for the moth away from the threat of the sea.

Natural England is encouraging landowners and farmers to plant hog fennel inland and sow seeds of the plant into established grassland.

"If we hadn't stepped in to create new areas of hog's fennel away from the threat of rising sea levels this beautiful moth would have struggled to survive," said spokeswoman Sarah Brockless.

The rare pool frog, which is said to sound as if it has a "northern accent", has a long history in Britain, with remains dating back to 1,000 AD being found at sites in Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire.

The last native frog died in the 1990s after the population shrank to just one site in Norfolk.

But genetic studies and analysis of its distinct mating calls established it was part of a northern group of the species along with animals from Norway and Sweden.

The pool frog is found at one site in Norfolk where it was reintroduced

Frogs were imported from Sweden and introduced to a secret site in Norfolk three years.

It is hoped that, with the new legal protection, it will be possible to reintroduce it to ponds in other parts of East Anglia.

"Early signs are encouraging that the pool frogs are settling in to the current release site," said Natural England amphibian specialist Jim Foster.

"However it will be several years before we can confidently assess the success of this reintroduction."

The ram's horn snail, which has a flattened spiral shell, is threatened by land drainage and inappropriate land management.

The new protection for three species, under the Habitats Regulations, comes into force from 1 October, minister for wildlife, Joan Ruddock said on Monday.