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COLONIES of rare Desmoulins鈥� whorl snails are to be moved into newly
created habitats to make way for the controversial Newbury bypass. But some
snail experts fear that the plan is unlikely to work.

鈥淭his snail is very fussy,鈥� says Peter Mordan, head of the mollusc section at
the Natural History Museum in London. 鈥淚t is unlikely that it will transplant
readily even into an existing habitat, and even less into a newly created
辞苍别.鈥�

The Rivers Lambourn and Kennet were found to harbour strongholds of the tiny,
marsh-dwelling snail earlier this year (This Week, 17 February, p 5). To protect
the snails, environment secretary John Gummer last week proposed that eight
river valley sites should be made a special area of conservation, under the
European Union鈥檚 Habitats and Species Directive.

One of these sites lies in the path of the bypass; another would be affected
by spray and other emissions from vehicles using the road. So the Highways
Agency intends to create new areas of marsh, and populate them with snails from
the affected sites.

Work started on the new habitat last week with the construction of a channel
100 metres long to divert water from the Kennet. The channel is being planted
with wetland grasses, and the Highways Agency expects to begin 鈥渟eeding鈥� it with
snails later this month. The agency also intends to move turfs, complete with
snails, into specially prepared areas in the Kennet and Lambourn valleys.
English Nature, the government鈥檚 conservation watchdog, supports the plan. 鈥淲e
believe it should be possible to maintain the overall population,鈥� says David
Henshilwood, head of English Nature鈥檚 Newbury office.

But Mordan is not convinced. 鈥淭o think you can sustainably recreate a complex
ecosystem that has taken centuries to develop in the space of a month does not
make biological sense.鈥�