‘We must continue to restore, manage, and protect’

September 28

A rare and exceptionally large spider is making a comeback on nature reserves in the United Kingdom, the Guardian recently reported. Thanks to ongoing conservation efforts, populations of the fen raft spider — also known as the great raft spider — are at a record high after nearly going extinct just over a decade ago.

The semiaquatic spiders, which measure up to 3 inches in length and can walk on water, were reintroduced to restored grazing marshes on the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads, Britain’s largest protected wetland. The restored area has an ideal mix of vegetation for nursery webs — which conservationists at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds describe as “pizza-sized” — and provides plenty of prey for the spiders.

The effort to revitalize the species was a collaboration between several conservation organizations: the RSPB, Suffolk Wildlife Trust, Sussex Wildlife Trust, Natural England, the Broads Authority, and the British Arachnological Society.

RSPB conservationists told the Guardian that the species was previously under threat because of the “large-scale degradation and destruction of the lowland wetland habitats” on which it depended. Much of this habitat damage can be attributed to the impacts of climate change and planet warming. A recent RSPB survey estimated the number of female fen raft spiders is just under 4,000 in the region.

The return of the fen raft spider to its native habitat will help revive and support a healthy and diverse wetland ecosystem in the area, which has long been under threat. Restoring damaged ecosystems through species reintroduction is a key way conservationists work to reverse the harm of human influence on the environment. The fen raft spider, in particular, helps its ecosystem by controlling insect populations and serving as prey for fish and birds, according to Suffolk Wildlife Trust.

In an RSPB news release, ecologist Jane Sears, who was involved in the fen raft spider conservation efforts, said: “We must continue to restore, manage, and protect the wetland habitats where the fen raft spider thrives to ensure the future of not just this species, but many others too.”