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Otters were wiped out by pesticide use in the 1960s. Following reintroductions in the 1980s, our work along Suffolk’s river valleys has helped them to spread and thrive. Otters are now more widespread than at any time in living memory.

We entered the new millennium amid fears that water voles could be extinct in Suffolk within a decade. Thanks to our Water for Wildlife project, water voles are now returning to rivers across Suffolk.

Discovering that dormice have spread out of Bradfield Woods into the adjoining hedgerows was the ultimate success for our reintroduction programme. Our goal now is to create a hedgerow network between Bradfield and nearby Bull’s Wood for dormice to move along.

After wavering perilously on the brink of disaster, for decades, the future of fen raft spider is finally secure. New populations at Carlton Marshes nature reserve are spreading through the network of Broadland dykes, taking advantage of the restored wetland landscape.

After county numbers fell to fewer than 100 pairs, our nest box programme has helped barn owls to make a come back. There are now more barn owls in Suffolk than there have been for a generation, making Suffolk one of the UK strongholds.

In the last decade we have added over 2400 acres of wildlife habitat to our network of nature reserves, from fragments of meadow to swathes of open heath. We have spent almost £4.5 million buying land for wildlife including stunning reserves like Snape Marshes and Knettishall Heath.