Buglife Conservation Officer Laura Krusin said: “The narrow-headed ant is found in just one location in the UK, while the erratic ant is also rare nationwide. This makes protecting their remaining populations essential for the survival of both species.”
Both rare ant species have declined significantly over the past 150 years, mainly because of the ongoing loss of heathland habitat.
Chris Moulton of Devon Wildlife Trust said the first stage of the conservation project would focus on restoring and improving heathland habitat within the nature reserve. This work aims to protect existing narrow-headed and erratic ant colonies.
The project aims to more than double the number of narrow-headed ant nests at Chudleigh Knighton Heath, increasing the population from around 200 nests to more than 400.
He added that other heathland nature reserves, including Eideford Common and Teignrace Meadow, could also provide suitable habitats for both rare ant species.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk