Hedgehogs on conservation list

Because of their decline, the garden and countryside favourites are among the mammals, birds, insects, invertebrates, plants, fish, sea creatures and fungi listed under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.

A number of the country's wildlife habitats, including traditional orchards and ponds, have also been added to the list as priorities for protection.

There are now 1,149 species of plants and animals and 65 habitats listed, up from 577 species and 49 habitats on the previous conservation list drawn up 10 years ago.

The new plan will be used to decide which species and habitats should be targeted for conservation work in a bid to halt the loss of biodiversity in the UK by 2010.

The revised list sees the garden tiger moth and the grass snake joining previously prioritised creatures such as the otter, bottlenosed dolphin, red squirrel and black grouse.

Pine martens, wild cats, mountain hares and brown long-eared bats have all been added to the list.

In the UK's seas, long-snouted and short-snouted seahorse species are both both classified as under threat, along with several types of shark including the porbeagle.

Sedges, helleborine and marsh orchids and two threatened species of dandelion are among the plants which have been included.

The new list has been approved by the administrations of all four UK countries.