Saving Planet Earth

BBC cricket commentator Jonathan Agnew escaped from the confines of the Test Match Special box. He visited experts in Nottingham fighting to preserve some of the East Midland's most threatened wildlife species.

The UK's very own white-clawed crayfish is declining rapidly thanks to a deadly disease carried by the American signal crayfish.  In total the UK supports 25% of the world’s white-clawed population - the only freshwater crayfish native to the UK.

The signal crayfish was first brought over to the UK from the USA by people intent on farming it. This species is much larger and more aggressive in nature than our its UK relation, the white-claw.

A number of signal crayfish escaped into the wild competing with the natives for food and space, and infecting them with a deadly parasite. They can now be found in 87% of Britain’s river catchment areas.

Jonathan travelled to Nottinghamshire’s Attenborough Nature Reserve, where the local wildlife trust, with the help of crayfish expert Dr David Holdich, are conducting a study into a new threat to the white-claws.

View the video below to see Jonathan's visit to the Crayfish in Nottingham.