From the edge of extinction: A Wales wide conservation effort to save our native crayfish

From the edge of extinction: A Wales wide conservation effort to save our native crayfish - Natural Resources Wales

white clawed crayfish in the river — White clawed crayfish (Tamasine Stretton, Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust)

Crayfish conservation is accelerating across Wales as organisations work together to protect the white-clawed crayfish, a native species at risk of disappearing from Welsh rivers.

Once thriving across Wales, the white-clawed crayfish is now endangered and faces extinction due to increasing pressures from invasive species like the North American signal crayfish, pollution, climate change and ongoing habitat loss.

To help combat their decline in Wales and boost remaining populations, conservationists are working to establish Ark sites, which are locations where new populations of white-clawed crayfish can safely be established.

Science meets action in mid Wales rivers

In 2021, a pivotal study funded by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and led by Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust, kickstarted a collaborative conservation initiative to conserve native, white-clawed crayfish in North Powys.

As part of the study, a working group was established with NRW, Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust the Severn Rivers Trust, The Canal and River Trust, North Wales Wildlife Trust WAREN Project, and Aberystwyth University to drive forward monitoring, research, and on-the-ground recovery actions.