RARE RAFT SPIDER MAKES A COMEBACK

Thanks to dedicated conservation work, this impressive but vulnerable arachnid is resurgent in East Anglia

- Daniel Graham

Having been pushed to the brink of extinction as recently as 2010, one of the UK's largest arachnids, the fen raft spider, looks set to enjoy its best year on record at RSPB nature reserves in East Anglia.

Thanks to dedicated conservation efforts, the population in the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads is steadily increasing, with females now numbering around 3,750. This recovery is largely thanks to a translocation partnership project to create suitable habitat on the Broads before introducing spiders.