0:00:02 > 0:00:05Britain's wildlife needs your help.
0:00:05 > 0:00:09Many of our favourite wild creatures are under threat.
0:00:10 > 0:00:11From persecution.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14From pollution. And alien predators.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18Others are losing their homes.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20Suffering from injury or disease.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23Or just struggling to survive in the modern world.
0:00:26 > 0:00:30Some could be extinct within our lifetime if we don't act now.
0:00:30 > 0:00:34There's nothing in the sky or even in the trees there, is there?
0:00:34 > 0:00:37But you can help bring them back from the brink.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41Together we can fight their enemies. Restore the places where they live.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43And stop their decline in its tracks.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49Release.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51Whoa! Whoa!
0:00:51 > 0:00:55So join our campaign. To save our wonderful wildlife.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57For us all to enjoy.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Oh, look! SHE LAUGHS
0:00:59 > 0:01:01Ah! Hello to you!
0:01:01 > 0:01:04I mean, how can you not just fall in love with that?
0:01:04 > 0:01:05BIRDSONG
0:01:26 > 0:01:30This week I'm exploring one of the most mysterious
0:01:30 > 0:01:32of all our wildlife havens -
0:01:32 > 0:01:36a watery wonderland - the wetlands.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43Water truly is the stuff of life.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46Without water, we could not survive
0:01:46 > 0:01:51and neither could every single wild animal on the planet.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56And that's why wetlands like this are so precious.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05Britain's wetlands are the veins of Mother Nature.
0:02:06 > 0:02:11Our lakes, ponds, bogs and marshes are lush, fertile habitats
0:02:11 > 0:02:14bursting with a wealth of wild inhabitants
0:02:14 > 0:02:17feasting on the rich rewards found here.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24The whole place is teeming with various types of flies -
0:02:24 > 0:02:27crane flies, dragonflies, damselflies.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33And they're food for all these birds and the fish underneath us,
0:02:33 > 0:02:37which are food for bigger birds and the top predators like otters.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43From warblers to water voles,
0:02:43 > 0:02:46and herons to eels,
0:02:46 > 0:02:50our wetlands may provide rich pickings for wildlife,
0:02:50 > 0:02:53but they're also extremely fragile.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57They've been under threat longer than any other habitat.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01They can be destroyed in an instant simply by draining the water away,
0:03:01 > 0:03:06which means our wetland creatures are living on a knife edge.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08But if we don't do something to save them,
0:03:08 > 0:03:11then some of them could disappear completely.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15Together, we're determined that will not happen.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19Our team of experts are championing
0:03:19 > 0:03:22some of Britain's most threatened wetland wildlife.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26Ben Fogle comes face to face with a creature
0:03:26 > 0:03:29we need to stop from slipping away for ever.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32You're a handsome boy.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34George McGavin investigates an amphibian
0:03:34 > 0:03:36that's losing its watery home.
0:03:36 > 0:03:37There is the star of the show.
0:03:39 > 0:03:39There is the star of the show.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41And Mike Dilger shows you
0:03:41 > 0:03:45how to witness the miracle of life in your own garden.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47This has hatched out this morning.
0:03:47 > 0:03:48Ohh!
0:03:58 > 0:04:02I'm heading up to the very top of Glastonbury Tor
0:04:02 > 0:04:07to get a view of this vast area of low-lying land,
0:04:07 > 0:04:08the Somerset Levels.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16This landscape is steeped in history.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19It's famous for being one of the most spiritual sites in Britain,
0:04:19 > 0:04:20where King Arthur
0:04:20 > 0:04:22is said to be buried.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26And it's also where the long, slow decline
0:04:26 > 0:04:29of British wetlands first began.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34Until the Middle Ages, our island was a water-soaked oasis
0:04:34 > 0:04:39filled with vast swathes of wetland and our wildlife loved it.
0:04:41 > 0:04:46Cranes and beavers were both native species before they disappeared from Britain.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48They would have lived alongside other wetland creatures,
0:04:48 > 0:04:52the numbers of which we can only imagine.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57But sadly, this force of nature did not last.
0:04:59 > 0:05:04Our ancestors saw wetlands as useless, unproductive land
0:05:04 > 0:05:06that stood in the way of progress,
0:05:06 > 0:05:10so over the centuries, ditches were dug, pumps were installed
0:05:10 > 0:05:13and the water was drained away.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19Over time, our wetlands have declined by 90%
0:05:19 > 0:05:22as they were drained and turned into farmland.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25Our wildlife is suffering as a result,
0:05:25 > 0:05:28a victim of one of the greatest environmental disasters
0:05:28 > 0:05:30in our nation's history.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38Sadly, losing their watery homes
0:05:38 > 0:05:42is still the biggest problem facing our wetland wildlife.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46George McGavin has been searching for a fascinating amphibian
0:05:46 > 0:05:50that is really struggling to survive in our modern world.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56The entire British construction industry
0:05:56 > 0:05:59is at the mercy of an extraordinary creature.
0:05:59 > 0:06:04If just one individual was found in a pool of water on this building site,
0:06:04 > 0:06:08it could bring all this activity to a grinding halt,
0:06:08 > 0:06:11costing developers millions of pounds.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15Yes, it's the underwater dragon, the aquatic stegosaurus himself,
0:06:15 > 0:06:19the amazing, the incredible, great crested newt.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24The great crested newt -
0:06:24 > 0:06:28our largest and most spectacular amphibian - is disappearing.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31Numbers have plummeted since the 1960s.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36They now have full legal protection
0:06:36 > 0:06:39and you can be fined up to £5,000 for harming them.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44As a result of their power over British builders,
0:06:44 > 0:06:49the poor, maligned newt has a black mark against its name.
0:06:49 > 0:06:54But the real cost of development in Britain is the destruction of its natural habitat,
0:06:54 > 0:06:58so we need to fight to stop its decline.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01This is it. This is one of the most stunning things
0:07:01 > 0:07:03you'll ever see in a pond.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07This is the male great crested newt and if it was swimming freely,
0:07:07 > 0:07:10you'd see the magnificent crest along the back.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13And as it moves down, you'll see the big, flat tail
0:07:13 > 0:07:16with this gorgeous silver stripe on it.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19Stunning!
0:07:19 > 0:07:21Here's what I love about these creatures.
0:07:21 > 0:07:26They can live up to 17 years, can regenerate lost limbs,
0:07:26 > 0:07:31scare off predators by secreting poisonous toxins from their skin,
0:07:31 > 0:07:35and trek up to a kilometre on land to find a mate.
0:07:37 > 0:07:38Now, despite all these amazing facts,
0:07:38 > 0:07:44I do know that not everyone shares my passion for all things amphibian.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47Up against a fluffy red squirrel or colourful kingfisher,
0:07:47 > 0:07:50the newt rarely stands a chance,
0:07:50 > 0:07:51dismissed as a slimy,
0:07:51 > 0:07:53cold-blooded nuisance.
0:07:53 > 0:07:57Since 1945, one million farm ponds
0:07:57 > 0:07:59have disappeared from our countryside.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03That's a lot of homes for newts gone.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05And newts face problems on land, too.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09They need damp environments such as compost heaps,
0:08:09 > 0:08:10the bottom of hedgerows,
0:08:10 > 0:08:13and rough grassland where they can forage for insects.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17And it's these habitats that we're losing
0:08:17 > 0:08:20in our bid to tidy up the countryside.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22Newts are also the gardener's best friend -
0:08:22 > 0:08:26there's nothing they enjoy more than a nice, juicy slug.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28And they play their part in the food chain,
0:08:28 > 0:08:33keeping mammals and birds such as hedgehogs and herons well fed.
0:08:37 > 0:08:42I'm about to meet a man who's as passionate about amphibians as I am.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45Professor Richard Griffiths from the University of Kent
0:08:45 > 0:08:48has devoted his life to studying these creatures.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50And I'm thrilled he's letting me get involved
0:08:50 > 0:08:53on a nocturnal newt-trapping mission.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56This is a sort of a semi-experimental system
0:08:56 > 0:09:00to monitor the colonisation of newly-created ponds.
0:09:00 > 0:09:04The problems they've been facing are the same problems facing a lot of our wildlife,
0:09:04 > 0:09:06it's basically habitat loss.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09Loss of ponds, but also loss of terrestrial habitat.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12It's almost like a double whammy that they're actually getting.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16How is this going to help with the conservation of great crested newts?
0:09:16 > 0:09:19What we're trying to do here is to sort of see
0:09:19 > 0:09:23how well you can actually benefit newts by creating new ponds
0:09:23 > 0:09:26and exactly what the impact is on the wider population.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29And, in fact, a lot of newt conservation is actually very, very simple.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31It's dig a hole and add water
0:09:31 > 0:09:34and if you're in the right place,
0:09:34 > 0:09:36you'll have newts turning up. That's it?
0:09:37 > 0:09:40Richard's team is trying to discover more
0:09:40 > 0:09:42about the newts' complex life cycle.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46So they trap them, note down their vital statistics
0:09:46 > 0:09:47and then let them go.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51So the most important thing is to keep an air bubble inside.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55We keep about a third air bubble in these little traps.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57So tonight I'm going to set my very own trap,
0:09:57 > 0:10:00which is not something you can try in your own pond at home.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03Richard and his team have a special licence.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06Is that about right? Er...yep.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10Well, there, I've set my first newt trap and with any luck
0:10:10 > 0:10:12tomorrow morning, when I come back,
0:10:12 > 0:10:15that will contain a great crested newt.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20So what have we got on here, Richard? This is the moment of truth.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23That's right. This is the trap you set last night, George.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26If you pull the funnel out. And...
0:10:26 > 0:10:29Ah! Wow! Loads in there.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32Well, I would say... Oh, there's more in there.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35There is the star...of the show.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38A male great crested newt.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42It is, actually, one of the most beautiful things
0:10:42 > 0:10:45you'll find in any pond anywhere.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49This is the bit that I think is really, really smart.
0:10:49 > 0:10:50You stick him on there...
0:10:50 > 0:10:54Each newt has a unique set of markings on its belly.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59We place this piece of sponge, which won't harm him at all, over the top.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02And Richard's got a clever way of keeping them still
0:11:02 > 0:11:04for their close-up.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07And there's his pattern. That's just...brilliant!
0:11:07 > 0:11:11And you get a unique fingerprint image, if you like, for each animal.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13I think it's Denzel.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16Yeah. It's very clear, isn't it? Yep. Named after Denzel Washington.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18GEORGE LAUGHS
0:11:18 > 0:11:21Wow! My first Hollywood star, right here in Canterbury.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26Understanding how newt colonies interact is vital
0:11:26 > 0:11:31if we're going to have any chance of protecting this remarkable creature.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37And the good news is you don't need to be a scientist to save the species.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41I'm off to the picture-postcard village of Sonning in Berkshire
0:11:41 > 0:11:43to find out how.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46Environmentalist Alistair Driver moved here 15 years ago
0:11:46 > 0:11:52and realised the village was missing one vital ingredient for wildlife,
0:11:52 > 0:11:53a pond. So he built one.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56Which one of you is Alistair? That's me, sir.
0:11:56 > 0:12:00Alistair, nice to meet you. Good to meet you, George. Good to meet you.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03How did all this begin? How did this pond digging begin?
0:12:03 > 0:12:06Well, I'm a bit of a wetland nut anyway,
0:12:06 > 0:12:08so I was keen on having ponds.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11They're one of the most bio-diverse habitats in the country,
0:12:11 > 0:12:14so it's good to have one for wildlife reasons,
0:12:14 > 0:12:17but they also become a focal point for the community.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19When did you find your first great crested newt?
0:12:19 > 0:12:22Well, that was a bit of a shock. And were you aware it was here?
0:12:22 > 0:12:26No, no. There was no records at all for the whole of this parish.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29And 2000 it was, we were doing the Millennium pond dipping.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32I hoicked out a great crested newt. It was here? In this area?
0:12:32 > 0:12:35Yeah, right in this very pond that we're now clearing.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37And there are now eight sites in the village
0:12:37 > 0:12:39where great crested newts breed.
0:12:39 > 0:12:44What's actually happening here? Well, we're clearing out this nasty Australian swamp stonecrop,
0:12:44 > 0:12:47this invasive plant. So it shouldn't be here? No.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51It's come in of its own accord and we have to clear it out periodically.
0:12:51 > 0:12:56It's great that Alistair's work has encouraged newts to make their home here.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00It's not hard to do. This is conservation in action.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02Local communities coming together
0:13:02 > 0:13:05and just making a pond, maintaining a pond.
0:13:05 > 0:13:09All of this is going to help the great crested newt
0:13:09 > 0:13:10for many years to come.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17I think we've got a newt over here.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21What have you got? What have you got? Oh, look at that!
0:13:21 > 0:13:24Wow! Tell me all about it.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26I just looked into my net
0:13:26 > 0:13:29and I see this newt scrambling around at the bottom.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32I think it's a great crested newt... It certainly is.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35..cos of the underside of the belly, which is orange.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38This is a young one, yeah. Probably in its second year,
0:13:38 > 0:13:40cos they do get a lot bigger than this.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43And, of course, you can only handle these under a licence
0:13:43 > 0:13:46or under supervision with a licence. That's right.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48So I have a licence for this. Well found!
0:13:48 > 0:13:50If you just put him down in that corner there.
0:13:53 > 0:13:54And there he goes.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59What they're doing here in Sonning is really inspiring
0:13:59 > 0:14:01and it's something we can all learn from.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05Saving Britain's threatened wildlife isn't always about campaigning,
0:14:05 > 0:14:09sometimes it's as simple as putting on a pair of wellies
0:14:09 > 0:14:12and taking note of what's on your doorstep.
0:14:12 > 0:14:17So get involved and join your local wildlife group to help save creatures
0:14:17 > 0:14:21like the magnificent, the truly incredible great crested newt.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32After centuries of neglect,
0:14:32 > 0:14:35our wetlands now only cover a tiny fraction of Britain.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42But now at last some really good news,
0:14:42 > 0:14:45because down here in the West Country,
0:14:45 > 0:14:47in the shadow of Glastonbury Tor,
0:14:47 > 0:14:52our wetlands are being reborn and so is their wildlife.
0:14:57 > 0:14:58The Somerset Levels
0:14:58 > 0:15:01are a vast, low-lying swathe of the West Country,
0:15:01 > 0:15:04much of which is now underwater.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11It's funny when you first come here, you think,
0:15:11 > 0:15:14"Well, there's a handful of birds out there. Very nice."
0:15:14 > 0:15:18But the more you sit still, the more you realise there is here...
0:15:18 > 0:15:20Oh, look, there you go.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23Got a cormorant up there just sitting on this dead tree.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26Looking really...prehistoric!
0:15:26 > 0:15:31Or even some kind of...creature from a graphic novel.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33SHE LAUGHS Cormorant Man.
0:15:33 > 0:15:34BIRDSONG
0:15:36 > 0:15:38There's a cuckoo. Can you hear it?
0:15:38 > 0:15:41That's a sound everybody will recognise.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43BIRDSONG
0:15:43 > 0:15:45Just down here in the middle of the water
0:15:45 > 0:15:50there's a beautiful great crested grebe sitting on a nest.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53The most aquatic bird, they just don't come on land.
0:15:55 > 0:15:56Ooh!
0:15:57 > 0:16:01Mute swan too close...to the great crested grebe nest!
0:16:01 > 0:16:03Look, they're having a little stand-off!
0:16:04 > 0:16:06SHE LAUGHS
0:16:06 > 0:16:09Feeding just too close to this nest for the grebe.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12There's another pair of great crested grebes
0:16:12 > 0:16:14and they're displaying to each other,
0:16:14 > 0:16:15which is just brilliant to see!
0:16:15 > 0:16:17Oh! What a beautiful dance.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25You don't have to be a birder to appreciate this place.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28Pretty much everyone likes birds
0:16:28 > 0:16:31and, in that case, you'll like wetlands too.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39During spring and summer, a whole host of species breed here,
0:16:39 > 0:16:41including otters, which up until
0:16:41 > 0:16:45the 1970s were on the brink of disappearing.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48And the conservation triumphs do not end there.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52Just over here is a great white egret
0:16:52 > 0:16:55flying really low to the ground.
0:16:55 > 0:16:56Very elegant.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01Great white egrets are a spectacular species of heron
0:17:01 > 0:17:05that have always been a very rare visitor to Britain,
0:17:05 > 0:17:10but in 2010, a small flock of these stunning birds turned up here.
0:17:12 > 0:17:18And to everyone's surprise, last summer two pairs built nests and reared young -
0:17:18 > 0:17:24the first time in recorded history that great white egrets have ever bred in Britain.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29The success story of great white egrets breeding in Britain
0:17:29 > 0:17:33shows just how important it is to protect our wetlands.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37It's crucial we save these precious natural habitats,
0:17:37 > 0:17:41as I discovered when I investigated the tragic decline
0:17:41 > 0:17:42of one of my favourite mammals.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57There's an animal that I'm sure you'll care about
0:17:57 > 0:18:00if you ever knew Kenneth Graham's Wind In The Willows as a child.
0:18:00 > 0:18:05It's a creature that feels like it's knitted into the pattern of idyllic British countryside
0:18:05 > 0:18:10and yet no matter how much we care about it, this is Britain's fastest-declining mammal.
0:18:12 > 0:18:17The water vole. Poor old Ratty has now been virtually wiped out
0:18:17 > 0:18:20with a staggering 90% fall in numbers...
0:18:20 > 0:18:22and it's all our fault.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28For the past century, they've suffered this two-pronged assault.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31From one side, habitat loss, where their wetlands have been drained
0:18:31 > 0:18:33and left isolated populations
0:18:33 > 0:18:36and from the other side, alien predators that are fast,
0:18:36 > 0:18:39sleek and effective hunters.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43That predator is the American mink.
0:18:45 > 0:18:51In the middle of the 20th century, mink were imported from the USA to make fur coats.
0:18:52 > 0:18:57Hundreds of mink farms reared tens of thousands of animals,
0:18:57 > 0:19:01but they were let loose, causing ecological anarchy in the UK.
0:19:04 > 0:19:10Because the mink's a newcomer to Britain, the water vole hasn't evolved a defence against them.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13When you think about its native predators like herons,
0:19:13 > 0:19:16which can stand here motionless in the water ready to strike,
0:19:16 > 0:19:19or raptors which could swoop down from above,
0:19:19 > 0:19:23the water vole still has the chance to dash back into its burrow to get away.
0:19:23 > 0:19:28Or its land predators like foxes or weasels, he can jump into the water.
0:19:28 > 0:19:33But with mink on the other hand, not only can they get into the water vole's burrow,
0:19:33 > 0:19:36but they can also get into the water, giving them a hugely unfair advantage.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40And it's a competition that the water vole rarely wins.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43And now it's on the brink of extinction
0:19:43 > 0:19:46and you won't see them in many of their former haunts.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49So I've come to a wetland reserve in Sussex,
0:19:49 > 0:19:52one place where I might just catch a glimpse.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55Despite my love of water voles,
0:19:55 > 0:19:58I've never actually seen one in the wild before.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01This is a rare opportunity.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03Cos you know that they can duck under at any second,
0:20:03 > 0:20:06it's really up to them how long you get with them on the surface.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08So we saw it then just for a little while and then... There it is!
0:20:08 > 0:20:11There it is! There it is! Yeah! SHE LAUGHS
0:20:11 > 0:20:16It's so fantastic to finally see a water vole in the wild.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20I thought I'd missed my chance before we lost them completely.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24It's rare that you get more than just a few seconds with a water vole,
0:20:24 > 0:20:26particularly when you're in an aquatic environment like this.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29And just then we got one just trucking right across the centre.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31Always looking busy, always off to feed,
0:20:31 > 0:20:33always off to get back to their burrows.
0:20:36 > 0:20:42This creature may look... Well, rat-like, but that's deceptive.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45Water voles have lovely, thick hair, which traps air
0:20:45 > 0:20:49when they dive underwater, keeping them warm.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51And they're surprisingly buoyant,
0:20:51 > 0:20:54which is good, as they don't have webbed feet for swimming.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59But water voles aren't just cute, they're vital.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01They bring our wetlands to life.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04By munching on the wetland greenery, they let in sunlight
0:21:04 > 0:21:08and their burrows bring life to the soil.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12This is awesome seeing a water vole this close,
0:21:12 > 0:21:15but if we want to see them in the places they used to be,
0:21:15 > 0:21:17where they used to live,
0:21:17 > 0:21:20it has to be much bigger scale than this. This is a nature reserve.
0:21:20 > 0:21:26Wouldn't it be amazing to see them in ponds and rivers and wetlands right across Britain?
0:21:28 > 0:21:30So let's stop dreaming.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33If we're going to save the water vole from total annihilation,
0:21:33 > 0:21:35we need to think big.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39We can't just release a few water voles into a reserve,
0:21:39 > 0:21:41we need hundreds of these little beauties.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46Water voles have been lost right across the UK.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50Down in Devon, they're virtually extinct.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53But there is a farm where they're being bred
0:21:53 > 0:21:55for nationwide release projects.
0:21:56 > 0:22:01Rebecca Northey has been breeding them here for six years.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04Hi, Rebecca. Hello. Are you all right? Yes, thank you.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07You, you know, become attached to the water voles and their plight,
0:22:07 > 0:22:10because we've bred so many water voles.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12The girls get to go out on release programmes,
0:22:12 > 0:22:17so you see the whole project going from the breeding right through to the release stage.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20And, you know, it means so much to you to actually be able to see the animals surviving
0:22:20 > 0:22:24and going out into the distance to be able to breed in the wild.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26There we are.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28By the tail, very efficient.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30And that's a male.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35The water vole has a trick up its furry sleeve.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39110, that one.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42It can breed...like rabbits.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45They've got something which is postpartum estrus,
0:22:45 > 0:22:47which means that as soon as the female's given birth,
0:22:47 > 0:22:49she can be mated immediately.
0:22:49 > 0:22:54And the gestation's only three weeks, so, of course, pretty much it's one litter per month.
0:22:54 > 0:22:59So, obviously, they can produce really high numbers of young, which is really important for them,
0:22:59 > 0:23:04because with things like herons and pike and mink, otter, stoat, everything will eat them.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08So they're going to lose so many when they're out in the wild,
0:23:08 > 0:23:12so we need to produce huge numbers so that they can survive.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14In fact, water voles breed so quickly
0:23:14 > 0:23:17that families have to be re-housed regularly
0:23:17 > 0:23:19so that the next generation can have some space.
0:23:19 > 0:23:23So just move the... I'm quite nervous, actually. THEY LAUGH
0:23:23 > 0:23:26So gently, gently? Yeah. That's it. Support it. Yes!
0:23:26 > 0:23:29Oh, come on, on you go. There we go.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32You don't get to do this very often,
0:23:32 > 0:23:34be quite so up-close with a water vole.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36You get a really chance to have a good look round.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39So they're part of the order of rodent
0:23:39 > 0:23:43and they're defined by having a pair of incisors at the top
0:23:43 > 0:23:45and a pair of incisors at the bottom there.
0:23:45 > 0:23:50They keep growing, they're open-rooted, so they have to keep them short by gnawing.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52What a fine beast!
0:23:53 > 0:23:56Each year, this farm produces hundreds of voles
0:23:56 > 0:23:59for release projects across the UK,
0:23:59 > 0:24:01but the harsh reality is that half of them
0:24:01 > 0:24:04will be killed and eaten in the first few days.
0:24:04 > 0:24:09So it's vital we keep a close eye on those that do survive in the wild.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16Back in Sussex, I've joined a team of volunteers
0:24:16 > 0:24:18for the great water vole fight back.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20A huge population, yeah.
0:24:20 > 0:24:25There's been a programme to cull mink around here for a few years.
0:24:25 > 0:24:30Today we're checking traps, hoping to catch some of the last remaining wild water voles in Sussex
0:24:30 > 0:24:33and see how they're getting on.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37It's a project led by PhD student, Drewella Baker.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41OK. Then what we'll do.... Argh! Sorry!
0:24:41 > 0:24:44That's all right. What we'll do is...give it a shake.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47There he is. There we are. There we go.
0:24:47 > 0:24:51So if you can hold the bag tight at the top, I'll take the trap away. Well done.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54I'm pretty sure that went through my glove, then. Are you all right?
0:24:54 > 0:24:57Yeah, I'm fine. OK. Good. It's a badge of honour, you know.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59Absolutely.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02So the hair you're teasing out here, why is this important?
0:25:02 > 0:25:05I've got hair plucks from all the individuals that I capture
0:25:05 > 0:25:08and I will then take it to the lab at the University of Brighton and extract the DNA from it.
0:25:10 > 0:25:10and I will then take it to the lab at the University of Brighton and extract the DNA from it.
0:25:12 > 0:25:18And the hope is that the water voles from Arundel will eventually be able to mix even as far as here?
0:25:18 > 0:25:22So eventually what we're hoping to see is that the two colonies will start to mix genes
0:25:22 > 0:25:24and also they'll spread the other way as well
0:25:53 > 0:25:54run riot, then we wouldn't have any native species left.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57So, you know, personally, I wouldn't want to do it myself,
0:26:16 > 0:26:17but that isn't really the case.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20The fact is they've been here for hundreds of years.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22They've had a massive assault in recent years.
0:26:22 > 0:26:22Numbers have dropped massively.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00This place looks so natural,
0:27:00 > 0:27:05but amazingly, 30 years ago, it didn't exist at all.
0:27:09 > 0:27:14Today, thousands of acres of reed beds, marshes and ponds
0:27:14 > 0:27:16make up a paradise for nature.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21And amazingly, it's all down to our intervention
0:27:21 > 0:27:24and a substance we're more accustomed to seeing in our gardens,
0:27:24 > 0:27:25peat.
0:27:30 > 0:27:35Peat is dead trees and vegetation from thousands of years ago
0:27:35 > 0:27:36that has rotted into the ground.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39The Somerset levels are full of it
0:27:39 > 0:27:45and, by the 1960s, peat extraction had become a booming business here.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53When we first came here, what you had was an old industrial landscape.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57So there were diggers digging up peat and that was surrounded by fields.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59There was no nature here.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02The RSPB's Tony Whitehead was involved with a huge challenge
0:28:02 > 0:28:05of returning the Levels to their former glory.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07We got the whole local community around here
0:28:07 > 0:28:11involved in growing reeds, and it was an amazing effort they put in.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14They were planting reeds in their own greenhouses and looking after them.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18Planting them out here, and basically, after that, you add water
0:28:18 > 0:28:22and this is what you get. Hundreds and hundreds of acres
0:28:22 > 0:28:24of pristine reed bed dripping with birds.
0:28:30 > 0:28:34Are there any other benefits beyond what we see in front of us?
0:28:34 > 0:28:37There are just lots and lots of benefits. It's not just about the wildlife.
0:28:37 > 0:28:41There are people coming here and loving being here. Loving the companionship of the birds
0:28:41 > 0:28:46and the creatures in a place like this. It really makes people's days.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53In a wetland system like this as well, whilst the water is here
0:28:53 > 0:28:57it's also not flooding people's houses or people's farms,
0:28:57 > 0:29:01so there's a benefit to having it in terms of flood alleviation, as well.
0:29:06 > 0:29:07You make it sound really easy,
0:29:07 > 0:29:09but there must have been some challenges.
0:29:09 > 0:29:11Oh, of course it's had challenges.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14You know, one of the key creatures we needed here was bittern
0:29:14 > 0:29:17and yet it took over ten years for the bittern to return
0:29:17 > 0:29:20and I think there are times in that period when you think,
0:29:20 > 0:29:22"Are they actually ever going to return?"
0:29:22 > 0:29:25But they did, and eventually the birds bred, which is fantastic
0:29:25 > 0:29:28because they hadn't bred in this part of the world since the late '60s.
0:29:28 > 0:29:32The population then just exploded, and that was from nothing.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35That's from standing starts and its one of those things -
0:29:35 > 0:29:37you've just got to trust it.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40If you provide the habitat, if you provide the places, the birds will come.
0:29:45 > 0:29:47So how does it make you feel
0:29:47 > 0:29:51having seen this place from the very beginning to what it is now?
0:29:51 > 0:29:54I think the feeling I get most is one of pride here,
0:29:54 > 0:29:57that we have turned this place into a wonderful nature reserve.
0:29:57 > 0:29:59Also, it gives you hope as well.
0:29:59 > 0:30:03If you can do it here, in a place like this, you can do it anywhere.
0:30:03 > 0:30:04Our ambition now is to break out
0:30:04 > 0:30:07beyond the boundaries of this nature reserve and other nature reserves.
0:30:07 > 0:30:11We need to be joining these places together. We need to be looking to the wider countryside,
0:30:11 > 0:30:14but we have to do this to reverse the declines of nature -
0:30:14 > 0:30:16not just here in Somerset, but across the UK.
0:30:23 > 0:30:26Until today, I kid you not, I hadn't seen a single bittern before.
0:30:26 > 0:30:29I must have seen half a dozen already.
0:30:29 > 0:30:32They look a bit like a sort of brown heron when they're flying.
0:30:32 > 0:30:35In fact, I've heard them called a toasted heron.
0:30:35 > 0:30:38And what's brilliant is that until ten years ago,
0:30:38 > 0:30:40there weren't any here
0:30:40 > 0:30:45and now they've got 35 booming males and that's because they've created
0:30:45 > 0:30:49a habitat like this on this enormous scale.
0:30:55 > 0:30:59But homes for wetland wildlife don't always have to be as big as this.
0:31:00 > 0:31:04You too can make a difference in your own back yard,
0:31:04 > 0:31:08as wildlife gardener Mike Dilger demonstrates.
0:31:15 > 0:31:17People frequently ask me
0:31:17 > 0:31:21the single best way to make their garden more wildlife friendly.
0:31:21 > 0:31:24This is easy. Put in a pond.
0:31:29 > 0:31:32It's been said that a wildlife garden without a pond
0:31:32 > 0:31:35is like a theatre without a stage.
0:31:35 > 0:31:38And you really don't need a big pond.
0:31:38 > 0:31:42A small stage still puts on a great performance.
0:31:42 > 0:31:48In fact, you can create one out of an old sink like this which I've actually filled with medicinal herbs.
0:31:48 > 0:31:51Or you can use half a barrel or even an old washing-up bowl.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54Simply stick it into the ground, fill it with water
0:31:54 > 0:31:58and if you have small children and you're worried about them
0:31:58 > 0:32:00falling into it or stepping into it,
0:32:00 > 0:32:03build the sides up with soil or rocks or stones
0:32:03 > 0:32:05and, hey presto, it's a wildlife pond.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08Water provides a drinking spot,
0:32:08 > 0:32:10somewhere to bathe, a nursery
0:32:10 > 0:32:12or an entire home.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15A pond is the magnet that pulls life into your garden
0:32:15 > 0:32:19and it's astonishing how quickly the animals arrive.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22This is my wildlife garden which I've been developing
0:32:22 > 0:32:25over the last couple of years and one of the very first projects
0:32:25 > 0:32:28that I carried out was putting one of these in.
0:32:28 > 0:32:33It was just a question of digging a big hole, putting a liner in,
0:32:33 > 0:32:36filling it full of water and within 24 hours,
0:32:36 > 0:32:40I had pond skaters whizzing around all over the surface.
0:32:43 > 0:32:47In time, of course, far more creatures will take up residence.
0:32:49 > 0:32:53Just down the road from me in Somerset, Sally Monkhouse
0:32:53 > 0:32:56has a well-established wildlife pond that she built 11 years ago.
0:33:07 > 0:33:10It's amazing. It's beautiful. It's massive!
0:33:10 > 0:33:13It is quite big. And it's full of life. Wow!
0:33:13 > 0:33:17It's very deep in the middle because we wanted to try and encourage
0:33:17 > 0:33:20different species to live here. You've got lots of native plants.
0:33:20 > 0:33:22You've got a bogbean over there.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25Marsh marigolds here and you've got rushes in front.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28Yes. We put in a few native species. Just tiny bits of reed.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31I remember the man delivering it. I said, "Do you think that'll be enough?"
0:33:31 > 0:33:33as there was just one bit here and there,
0:33:33 > 0:33:35and this is what happened really quickly.
0:33:35 > 0:33:38It's gorgeous. Any tricks that kind of really help it work well?
0:33:38 > 0:33:42If you can use rainwater as opposed to the chlorinated water,
0:33:42 > 0:33:44that makes it much healthier.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47Does it require much maintenance? Not very much.
0:33:47 > 0:33:50It's quite easy gardening actually, because it's quite a big area
0:33:50 > 0:33:53and so it's one area that sort of takes care of itself.
0:33:59 > 0:34:02Sally, look what I found just emerging from your pond.
0:34:02 > 0:34:06That is just the most stunning, beautiful creature.
0:34:06 > 0:34:10You know what it is, surely. I know what that is, but what's that? That's the damselfly
0:34:10 > 0:34:13and that's the case that it's just hatched out of. Right.
0:34:13 > 0:34:16And this has hatched out this morning.
0:34:16 > 0:34:17Oh! And what is it? What sort?
0:34:17 > 0:34:20It's a large red damselfly.
0:34:20 > 0:34:23Well, that's amazing because look at the size of that compared to...
0:34:23 > 0:34:25You're saying it came out of that.
0:34:25 > 0:34:29When it first emerges, the wings are tiny. They're completely shrivelled
0:34:29 > 0:34:31and then it pumps them full of blood.
0:34:31 > 0:34:33The wings are quite hardened now.
0:34:33 > 0:34:37This will actually take off very soon. This is the perfect day for it.
0:34:37 > 0:34:42Hot, dry, warm, still. Perfect for drying wings.
0:34:42 > 0:34:44Wonderful. There's another one! Just overhead.
0:34:44 > 0:34:47Oh, yes! I caught sight of it, too. Surrounded by them!
0:34:47 > 0:34:50This is the first sign of summer.
0:34:50 > 0:34:54My first damselfly in your garden. Oh, that's amazing. I'm totally thrilled.
0:34:58 > 0:35:02I'll put this little chap down until he's ready for take-off.
0:35:04 > 0:35:08Well, I can see plenty of stuff buzzing around the top of the water.
0:35:08 > 0:35:10I think we should go down below and investigate a bit deeper.
0:35:10 > 0:35:12I think we should delve a bit deeper.
0:35:12 > 0:35:14We've got a few toys and I think we should use them on this pond.
0:35:14 > 0:35:18You're actually meaning going inside? Inside and under. Do you fancy having a go?
0:35:18 > 0:35:22Seeing what's underneath? Oh, I think that would just be so exciting to do that.
0:35:25 > 0:35:29To take us into the world below the surface,
0:35:29 > 0:35:31I've got a special underwater camera.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34Have you got a picture there? I have. What can you see?
0:35:34 > 0:35:36Wow. I can see tadpoles already.
0:35:39 > 0:35:41Absolutely huge numbers of tadpoles.
0:35:41 > 0:35:43Yes. There's loads. I can see them all.
0:35:43 > 0:35:47There they go! And they've just emerged from the frogspawn.
0:35:47 > 0:35:48Amazing. It looks beautiful.
0:35:54 > 0:35:57Oh, fishes just going from the left to the right. Really sweet.
0:36:01 > 0:36:04It's sort of magical, the underwater world, isn't it?
0:36:04 > 0:36:08You see it on telly, but when it's your own pond, it's really amazing.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11Can you see the snail there, Sally? Yep.
0:36:11 > 0:36:13Bobbing up and down a bit
0:36:13 > 0:36:15and its mouth parts or something I can see.
0:36:15 > 0:36:17I think you've got some mating ramshorn snails.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20Oh, yes, that's right. That is them mating.
0:36:20 > 0:36:22I think that's exactly what they're doing.
0:36:22 > 0:36:24I think it is. There. Amazing.
0:36:31 > 0:36:36The camera can explore the open water, but to show Sally the life amongst the thick vegetation,
0:36:36 > 0:36:39I'm going to bring the animals to us.
0:36:40 > 0:36:45Oh, look, there's a newt. Oh, yes! Wow!
0:36:45 > 0:36:47We've got - I think - two smooth newts.
0:36:47 > 0:36:51Is it a female? Because she's fat. I'm assuming it's a female?
0:36:51 > 0:36:53That's definitely a pregnant female newt.
0:36:53 > 0:36:57You can see there and there that she's very heavily pregnant.
0:36:57 > 0:36:59You can see she has a fantastic orange belly.
0:36:59 > 0:37:02Oh, yes. Oh, ho! Really lovely. A little flash of orange.
0:37:02 > 0:37:05What's that horrible thing? That looks really weird.
0:37:05 > 0:37:11It really is. This beast is a larva of a dragonfly.
0:37:11 > 0:37:13This is a top predator of the pond.
0:37:13 > 0:37:15That's amazing! What a creature.
0:37:15 > 0:37:19And they've got a jaw mechanism called a mask and they shoot out
0:37:19 > 0:37:22with pincers, grab the food and bring it back to their mouth part.
0:37:22 > 0:37:23They are brutal.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26What's that?
0:37:26 > 0:37:30They're little tiny back swimmers, because they swim on their back.
0:37:31 > 0:37:33Oh, look here, damselfly larvae.
0:37:33 > 0:37:37So you know we saw the large, red damselfly?
0:37:37 > 0:37:40And now we've seen the immature form. Yes. That's amazing.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46There seems to be so much in it and it's just been so exciting.
0:37:46 > 0:37:50That piece of water behind you is the equivalent to the Serengeti
0:37:50 > 0:37:52in terms of the amount of animals.
0:37:52 > 0:37:55Oh, I suppose it is. It's just wonderful.
0:38:00 > 0:38:03These animals have found their way to this pond and set up home.
0:38:03 > 0:38:08It's just incredible how much life water brings to any garden.
0:38:12 > 0:38:14You know, ponds have been disappearing
0:38:14 > 0:38:17right across the British countryside
0:38:17 > 0:38:20with often disastrous consequences for wildlife.
0:38:20 > 0:38:25They represent drinking spots for mammals, bathing places for birds,
0:38:25 > 0:38:30nurseries for frogs and newts and a whole world for aquatic insects.
0:38:30 > 0:38:32So why not get a bucket, dig it in the ground,
0:38:32 > 0:38:33fill it full of water,
0:38:33 > 0:38:36turn over a dustbin lid or even create a pond like this?
0:38:36 > 0:38:39It's the single best thing that you can do
0:38:39 > 0:38:41to attract wildlife to your own back garden.
0:38:43 > 0:38:47If you've been inspired to turn your garden into a haven
0:38:47 > 0:38:51for wildlife, Mike has lots more advice on our website
0:38:51 > 0:38:55along with more information about what's happening where you live
0:38:55 > 0:38:57in the BBC Summer of Wildlife.
0:38:59 > 0:39:03Still to come on Britain's Big Wildlife Revival,
0:39:03 > 0:39:07Ben Fogle wades in to help our fastest-declining fish.
0:39:08 > 0:39:10Why can I sense I might end up wet here?
0:39:10 > 0:39:15'And I get a privileged view of a species that's vanished from Britain
0:39:15 > 0:39:17'for more than 400 years.'
0:39:17 > 0:39:20There we go! It's so cute!
0:39:28 > 0:39:32What always amazes me about the natural world
0:39:32 > 0:39:35is how complex it is when you peer beneath the surface.
0:39:37 > 0:39:40This place feels so peaceful.
0:39:44 > 0:39:48This area of wetlands is like nature's own city.
0:39:48 > 0:39:52It has thousands of different species living here
0:39:52 > 0:39:55and all too often it's easy to be seduced
0:39:55 > 0:39:57by what's right in front of you.
0:39:57 > 0:40:00To appreciate how much hidden wildlife there is here,
0:40:00 > 0:40:03you need to come back after dark.
0:40:09 > 0:40:13Roughly half of all species on Earth are insects.
0:40:13 > 0:40:15They are amazing in themselves,
0:40:15 > 0:40:19and without them, the whole food chain would soon collapse.
0:40:21 > 0:40:24'During the day, there is a natural source of light,
0:40:24 > 0:40:27'so it's difficult to attract insects, but at night-time,
0:40:27 > 0:40:30'a lamp and a white sheet are all you need
0:40:30 > 0:40:33'to discover a whole hidden empire.'
0:40:33 > 0:40:36Already, just with the car headlights, there's loads.
0:40:36 > 0:40:41Let's see what happens with even more light.
0:40:43 > 0:40:49'In a matter of seconds, these illusive creatures come flocking.'
0:40:49 > 0:40:51Wah!
0:40:54 > 0:40:57Oh, wow. Here we go.
0:40:57 > 0:41:01We've got a lot of different types of true flies. Here there's some bigger ones.
0:41:01 > 0:41:03A caddis fly there. There's a stonefly here.
0:41:03 > 0:41:08Daddy-longlegs, and this is just a tiny fraction
0:41:08 > 0:41:10of the flying insects that are out there.
0:41:10 > 0:41:14And these are food for the more charismatic animals
0:41:14 > 0:41:18like fish and birds and mammals.
0:41:23 > 0:41:27And this is an elephant hawk-moth
0:41:27 > 0:41:30with beautiful pinks and greens.
0:41:30 > 0:41:31It looks incredibly exotic,
0:41:31 > 0:41:34but actually they're found really commonly in gardens
0:41:34 > 0:41:37and they're called an elephant hawk-moth
0:41:37 > 0:41:40because its caterpillar has what looks like a trunk on the front.
0:41:40 > 0:41:42It's a fabulous moth.
0:41:42 > 0:41:45There's always this misconception that moths are the dowdy ones
0:41:45 > 0:41:47that fly about at night,
0:41:47 > 0:41:48but actually there's more day-flying moths
0:41:48 > 0:41:50than there are butterflies in this country,
0:41:50 > 0:41:53and scientists see butterflies and moths in the same category.
0:41:53 > 0:41:56It's just us who make the difference.
0:41:56 > 0:41:59Look at that. What a beaut.
0:41:59 > 0:42:03Seeing all of these flying insects here in such a short amount of time
0:42:03 > 0:42:06could easily lead us to thinking that there were plenty of them
0:42:06 > 0:42:09and that their numbers were absolutely fine, but that really isn't the case.
0:42:09 > 0:42:14Certainly for moths and a lot of other groups of flying insects,
0:42:14 > 0:42:16their numbers are massively down
0:42:16 > 0:42:19and THAT has a huge impact through the food chain.
0:42:24 > 0:42:27We have to remain vigilant in protecting our wetlands.
0:42:27 > 0:42:31The species that thrive in these special places are essential
0:42:31 > 0:42:34to maintaining a natural balance,
0:42:34 > 0:42:37and if we upset this, the results could be catastrophic.
0:42:40 > 0:42:43And that's exactly what happened over on the East Anglian Fens,
0:42:43 > 0:42:45where Ben Fogle has been in search
0:42:45 > 0:42:49of one of our most enigmatic and slippery wetland creatures.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55When I was a young lad, I spent many hours swimming
0:42:55 > 0:42:59and fishing in the wetlands of East Anglia.
0:42:59 > 0:43:03I'm not quite sure if I'm going to be as lucky fishing today.
0:43:03 > 0:43:08That's because in the last 30 years, what was once the most common fish
0:43:08 > 0:43:11in these waters has become critically endangered.
0:43:15 > 0:43:17The European eel.
0:43:17 > 0:43:21The number of these fish has dropped by a staggering 98%.
0:43:21 > 0:43:25If nothing's done, they could be wiped out in a few years' time.
0:43:25 > 0:43:28They may not be beautiful,
0:43:28 > 0:43:31but eels are integral to the ecosystem of the wetlands.
0:43:31 > 0:43:34They really are remarkable creatures.
0:43:34 > 0:43:38They travel thousands of miles across vast oceans.
0:43:38 > 0:43:40They can cross fields.
0:43:40 > 0:43:43They can go for months without eating.
0:43:43 > 0:43:47This really is an astonishing animal, and their decline
0:43:47 > 0:43:52raises important questions about what we're doing to our environment.
0:43:52 > 0:43:54You're a handsome boy!
0:43:56 > 0:44:00Eels have the most extraordinary life cycle of any British creature.
0:44:00 > 0:44:03They spend up to 40 years living in our wetlands,
0:44:03 > 0:44:06feeding and growing up to a metre long.
0:44:06 > 0:44:09Only when they are finally ready to breed
0:44:09 > 0:44:11do they make an epic journey out to sea.
0:44:11 > 0:44:14Incredibly, once they reach the open ocean,
0:44:14 > 0:44:17they travel halfway around the world,
0:44:17 > 0:44:22across the entire Atlantic Ocean to this spot - the Sargasso Sea.
0:44:22 > 0:44:25Here, they hatch thousands of eggs before dying.
0:44:25 > 0:44:29The baby eels then begin the miraculous voyage
0:44:29 > 0:44:33back across the entire Atlantic Ocean to this spot here -
0:44:33 > 0:44:36a voyage of more than 3,000 miles.
0:44:40 > 0:44:43Peter Carter is the last full-time eel-catcher
0:44:43 > 0:44:44on the Cambridgeshire Fens,
0:44:44 > 0:44:48but now he's struggling to make a living
0:44:48 > 0:44:50and is very worried about the eels' future.
0:44:51 > 0:44:53I'm in a coracle. I imagine this boat is pretty useful
0:44:53 > 0:44:56for these very thin little stretches of water here.
0:44:56 > 0:45:01They come in handy. Especially when you've got to walk across the fields to get to the dykes,
0:45:01 > 0:45:03because you can just chuck it over your back.
0:45:03 > 0:45:05If I pass the line down to you,
0:45:05 > 0:45:07if you can see where the stick is and lift the net up...
0:45:10 > 0:45:14Why can I sense I might end up wet here?
0:45:14 > 0:45:15I'm going to get it.
0:45:15 > 0:45:17So, have you been catching eels all your life?
0:45:17 > 0:45:20Yeah, my family started...
0:45:20 > 0:45:23Well, the earliest we can go back so far is 1475.
0:45:23 > 0:45:251475?
0:45:25 > 0:45:27Yeah, there were thousands and thousands of eels,
0:45:27 > 0:45:29because The Fens weren't drained then.
0:45:29 > 0:45:32The biggest drop of eels is actually when they did drain The Fens.
0:45:32 > 0:45:33They reckon that dropped by about 70-80%.
0:45:49 > 0:45:51I'd like to think they would, eventually. My daughter might do it,
0:45:51 > 0:45:55but at the moment, as it stands there's no money in it any more.
0:45:55 > 0:45:57Are you optimistic?
0:45:57 > 0:45:58Er, yeah, you've always got to be optimistic, haven't you?
0:46:00 > 0:46:00Er, yeah, you've always got to be optimistic, haven't you?
0:46:00 > 0:46:01I don't want to be the last one.
0:46:01 > 0:46:06I don't want to get up there and get a kick up the butt by all my relatives for not keeping it going.
0:46:08 > 0:46:13Despite work to restore our wetlands, there's a mystery surrounding these curious fish
0:46:13 > 0:46:17because we know so little about them once they go out to sea.
0:46:20 > 0:46:22One man who's helping change all that
0:46:22 > 0:46:24is eel scientist Julian Metcalfe.
0:46:24 > 0:46:27He's leading a cutting-edge research programme
0:46:27 > 0:46:30to tag and track them once they leave our shores.
0:46:30 > 0:46:35So, why do you think there's been such a decline in the eels in habitats like this?
0:46:35 > 0:46:38There are obstructions to migrations - dams and weirs.
0:46:38 > 0:46:40There's the possibility of pollution.
0:46:40 > 0:46:42In some cases, there can be over-fishing.
0:46:42 > 0:46:46And then when they go out into the open sea, we know nothing about the perils that they face out there
0:46:46 > 0:46:50and we need to understand all these components of a life history to put it together as a jigsaw puzzle
0:46:50 > 0:46:52to try and find out what's been going on.
0:46:52 > 0:46:56So how do you find out more about their oceanic habitat?
0:46:56 > 0:47:02Well, we've been using an electronic tag and when they get to the Sargasso Sea, the idea is
0:47:02 > 0:47:05they will spawn and die as they naturally do, and that tag will then
0:47:05 > 0:47:07float to the sea surface and it will drift back on the ocean currents
0:47:07 > 0:47:12like the eel eggs and larvae do, and eventually wash up on a beach
0:47:12 > 0:47:15somewhere in Europe or in England and there's a reward label inside.
0:47:15 > 0:47:17How much...? £50 reward!
0:47:17 > 0:47:20£50 reward. I'll take one of those! HE LAUGHS
0:47:20 > 0:47:21And they send that back to us
0:47:21 > 0:47:25and then we can download the data so that we can start to understand
0:47:25 > 0:47:29whether changes in ocean currents are likely to have any effect on their migrations.
0:47:29 > 0:47:32There you go. Remember, next time you're walking along the beach
0:47:32 > 0:47:36and you spot one of these, not only could you get a £50 reward,
0:47:36 > 0:47:39you might be benefiting science.
0:47:41 > 0:47:42'So we're learning more about them
0:47:42 > 0:47:46'when they leave the UK, but how do we help eel stocks recover?
0:47:46 > 0:47:48'One of the most crucial things
0:47:48 > 0:47:52'is helping them with their epic migration back home.'
0:47:52 > 0:47:56Now, imagine you're a baby eel, known as a glass eel or an elver.
0:47:56 > 0:47:58You're smaller than my little finger.
0:47:58 > 0:48:00You have just completed an epic journey
0:48:00 > 0:48:06across the Atlantic Ocean all the way from the Sargasso Sea to this.
0:48:06 > 0:48:09It's impossible to pass.
0:48:10 > 0:48:12Weirs and locks are essential flood defences,
0:48:12 > 0:48:15but they also stop baby eels travelling upstream
0:48:15 > 0:48:17and into wetland areas
0:48:17 > 0:48:20where they make their home while they mature.
0:48:23 > 0:48:26'There are solutions, in the form of eel ladders,
0:48:26 > 0:48:29'made from bristles that allow the eel to climb upwards.
0:48:29 > 0:48:33'But with thousands of obstructions on our waterways,
0:48:33 > 0:48:36'there simply aren't enough ladders to go around.'
0:48:36 > 0:48:38So something needs to be done.
0:48:38 > 0:48:39Here in Gloucestershire,
0:48:39 > 0:48:42on the banks of the River Severn, eel fishermen
0:48:42 > 0:48:46have come together to not only save the eel, but their livelihoods.
0:48:48 > 0:48:52Hi. How are you doing? Getting the nets ready? Good to see you.
0:48:53 > 0:48:56'The scheme is championed by fisherman Richard Cook
0:48:56 > 0:49:01'who along with his colleagues has been working closely with the Sustainable Eel Group.
0:49:01 > 0:49:05'Elver fisherman work at night, when baby eels are at their most active.
0:49:05 > 0:49:07'But because of over-fishing and poaching,
0:49:07 > 0:49:10'they have a slightly tarnished reputation.
0:49:10 > 0:49:15'But now the responsible ones are working with the conservationists.
0:49:15 > 0:49:19'Last year, they donated more than two thirds of their catch
0:49:19 > 0:49:20'to help restock our wetlands.'
0:49:20 > 0:49:24The decline in eels and elvers affects you guys
0:49:24 > 0:49:27and that's why you're trying to help.
0:49:27 > 0:49:30Yeah, there is this change of opinion, yeah?
0:49:30 > 0:49:35That actually by engaging the fishermen, then everybody
0:49:35 > 0:49:39can pull together and try and get the fish out of this river
0:49:39 > 0:49:43and put them into somewhere where they have a better chance of survival.
0:49:43 > 0:49:45'After several hours sitting by the fire,
0:49:45 > 0:49:47'it's time to check the night's catch.'
0:49:47 > 0:49:49And correct me if I'm wrong,
0:49:49 > 0:49:53has this tiny, tiny little thing crossed the entire Atlantic Ocean?
0:49:53 > 0:49:556,000km. It's incredible, isn't it?
0:49:55 > 0:49:59I mean, that is staggering. Is it significant there's only one?
0:49:59 > 0:50:01HE LAUGHS
0:50:02 > 0:50:04All the baby eels are brought here
0:50:04 > 0:50:07to a special processing plant near Gloucester.
0:50:07 > 0:50:09If you tip that tray to face me, Ben.
0:50:09 > 0:50:12OK. Yeah. And I'll gently tease them out.
0:50:12 > 0:50:16A third of these elvers will eventually end up on dinner plates
0:50:16 > 0:50:19all across Europe, but last year 70% of them
0:50:19 > 0:50:23were put back into our wetlands to help restock the eel population.
0:50:26 > 0:50:29And it's thanks to people like Andrew Kerr
0:50:29 > 0:50:30from the Sustainable Eel Group
0:50:30 > 0:50:33that the eel is being given
0:50:33 > 0:50:35the best chance of survival.
0:50:35 > 0:50:38The Severn this year has probably had
0:50:38 > 0:50:41something like 100 million eels come up it.
0:50:41 > 0:50:45100 million. Yet the number that can actually get through
0:50:45 > 0:50:48into the wetlands, you're talking of a fraction of a fraction of 1%.
0:50:48 > 0:50:52And when we talk about the wetlands, that direction is the wetlands.
0:50:52 > 0:50:55Perfect habitat for these young guys.
0:50:55 > 0:50:59Absolutely. The fishermen have given a million glass eels for restocking.
0:50:59 > 0:51:02They have GIVEN them, and this is part of a Europe-wide programme
0:51:02 > 0:51:05of 50 million being released this year.
0:51:05 > 0:51:09So this little box could be the future of the European eel?
0:51:09 > 0:51:13That could be the one that gets back with 5 million eggs.
0:51:14 > 0:51:17They may not be sweet and cuddly,
0:51:17 > 0:51:19but what they lack in the "ah" factor,
0:51:19 > 0:51:23they make up for in their astonishing migration.
0:51:23 > 0:51:25Do not underestimate the eel.
0:51:25 > 0:51:29It is a remarkable species and we need to save it.
0:51:42 > 0:51:44I'm ending my journey through our wetlands
0:51:44 > 0:51:48with a truly incredible success story
0:51:48 > 0:51:51of a mighty bird that was lost from this land
0:51:51 > 0:51:57for over 400 years and it's now making a hard-earned comeback.
0:51:59 > 0:52:03Like so many iconic species, the crane is a victim of man's greed.
0:52:05 > 0:52:08During medieval times, this large bird
0:52:08 > 0:52:12was so prized for its meat, it was ruthlessly hunted down
0:52:12 > 0:52:15and by the 16th century, it was extinct in the UK.
0:52:19 > 0:52:24But miraculously, in the late 1970s, a small group of cranes
0:52:24 > 0:52:28drifted off-course during their migration through Europe
0:52:28 > 0:52:30and landed in Norfolk.
0:52:30 > 0:52:34This was the first time cranes had nested in Britain for centuries.
0:52:36 > 0:52:40Here at the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust headquarters at Slimbridge,
0:52:40 > 0:52:43to help boost this new population,
0:52:43 > 0:52:47baby cranes are being hand-reared to be released into the wild
0:52:47 > 0:52:50in a hugely ambitious reintroduction programme.
0:52:51 > 0:52:54But before I'm even allowed to go face to face with them,
0:52:54 > 0:52:57I've got to go through some pretty strict security controls.
0:53:04 > 0:53:07This might look rather space-age,
0:53:07 > 0:53:12but it's vital to protect the cranes and every visitor has to wear it.
0:53:13 > 0:53:17(What's with the ridiculous costume?)
0:53:17 > 0:53:20(So these costumes are just to conceal the human form
0:53:20 > 0:53:22(so we're not trying to look like cranes,
0:53:22 > 0:53:25(but we're just trying to make ourselves not look like humans.)
0:53:25 > 0:53:28The suits help shield the cranes from human contact,
0:53:28 > 0:53:33preparing them to be self-sufficient and fearful of people in the wild.
0:53:33 > 0:53:36We've just got these models as well,
0:53:36 > 0:53:39so everything that we do with them from the day that they hatch,
0:53:39 > 0:53:41they're fed and walked and stuff with these.
0:53:47 > 0:53:51(Oh, wow. That's fantastic.)
0:53:52 > 0:53:54(It's so cute!)
0:53:57 > 0:54:00(This little guy is about three weeks old now. Oh, look at that!
0:54:00 > 0:54:04(Look at those enormous feet!
0:54:04 > 0:54:07(It's crazy to think that in a few months,
0:54:07 > 0:54:10(this bird will be bigger than me.)
0:54:16 > 0:54:20(I spend about 15-20 minutes twice a day exercising them,
0:54:20 > 0:54:23(because they grow about a centimetre a day,
0:54:23 > 0:54:27(so it's a real fast rate of growth and they really need the exercise
0:54:27 > 0:54:29(to strengthen the muscles to support the growth.)
0:54:40 > 0:54:43(It's quite a strange job you've got really, being a crane mum.
0:54:43 > 0:54:47(It's true! What's it like, being the mother figure to these cranes?
0:54:47 > 0:54:51(It's a weird feeling because you are working with them so closely
0:54:51 > 0:54:56(and then you worry a lot about whether they're going to get injured or whether they're feeding properly,
0:54:56 > 0:54:58(but it's really rewarding at the same time
0:54:58 > 0:55:01(to see them getting on with it because you know you've kind of
0:55:01 > 0:55:04(taught them well and got them healthy enough to fledge properly.
0:55:04 > 0:55:07(So all the worry of traditional motherhood? Yeah!)
0:55:12 > 0:55:16Each year, 20 young cranes are released onto the Somerset Levels
0:55:16 > 0:55:20by Nigel Jarrett and his colleagues on the Great Crane Project.
0:55:20 > 0:55:24We've got 20-odd birds in a field. I can't see who they are, Damon.
0:55:24 > 0:55:29Maybe you can pick that up on the aerial. 20?! There's a bunch in the distance, about half a mile away.
0:55:29 > 0:55:32You're not likely to see more than grey blobs.
0:55:32 > 0:55:33SHE LAUGHS
0:55:33 > 0:55:36That's enough though, right? It's enough to make your heart soar.
0:55:36 > 0:55:40This must be amazing for you, Nigel? You've been there since the very beginning.
0:55:40 > 0:55:41It feels fantastic.
0:55:41 > 0:55:44It's the realisation of what we want to do,
0:55:44 > 0:55:47which is put cranes back where they belong. Most people, like me,
0:55:47 > 0:55:50if they hear a crane or see a crane, they will fall in love with it.
0:55:50 > 0:55:53And if we can get people doing that, they'll begin to value wetlands
0:55:53 > 0:55:57and value our wild spaces where lots and lots of wildlife can survive.
0:56:03 > 0:56:05Is there a chance cranes could have just come back on their own,
0:56:05 > 0:56:06just done this naturally?
0:56:06 > 0:56:09Yeah, but it might have taken 1,000 years. They belong here
0:56:09 > 0:56:12and if we can restore some of those wetlands,
0:56:12 > 0:56:15we'll have cranes once again up and down our country.
0:56:25 > 0:56:28We CAN re-wild Britain.
0:56:28 > 0:56:30Our country has been damaged over time,
0:56:30 > 0:56:34but it doesn't take long to return habitats to the way they once were.
0:56:34 > 0:56:38We can have once again the lush meadows and marshes
0:56:38 > 0:56:39alongside our rivers,
0:56:39 > 0:56:43and lots of species would benefit from that, including the cranes.
0:56:43 > 0:56:46So it can happen? We just need the ambition? We just need the ambition
0:56:46 > 0:56:50and that vision and willingness to let Britain become natural once more.
0:56:56 > 0:57:00What has been achieved here is truly remarkable.
0:57:00 > 0:57:03This is the biggest project to recreate lost habitat
0:57:03 > 0:57:07anywhere in Britain - and it's worked.
0:57:07 > 0:57:12How better to end my journey through Britain's threatened wild places
0:57:12 > 0:57:16than by sharing the rebirth of this spectacular bird
0:57:16 > 0:57:18in a landscape that people-power
0:57:18 > 0:57:20has helped to restore?
0:57:24 > 0:57:27Our nation is full of majestic landscapes
0:57:27 > 0:57:30and breathtaking natural spectacles.
0:57:36 > 0:57:39From our woodlands to our wetlands,
0:57:39 > 0:57:42our cities to our farms
0:57:42 > 0:57:45and our rivers to our coasts...
0:57:47 > 0:57:51..these precious places are the source of life
0:57:51 > 0:57:53for tens of thousands of species.
0:57:57 > 0:58:00We all need to play our part to protect them
0:58:00 > 0:58:02for generations to come.
0:58:06 > 0:58:10So if you care as much as we do about our wild creatures
0:58:10 > 0:58:15and the places that they live, then please join our campaign
0:58:15 > 0:58:18to save them in Britain's Big Wildlife Revival.
0:58:42 > 0:58:45Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd