IT'S THE shyest and least-known of the three British snake species but now the smooth snake - which was first identified in Dorset - is getting the help it deserves.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded £412,000 to Amphibian and Reptile Conservation to form an army of citizen scientists and volunteers to conserve habitats, build a vital record of populations and find out what needs to be done to secure the future of the mysterious species.

And it needs it - the smooth snake was first identified in the UK in 1852 at Parley Common, a site now managed by ARC, but scientists still know so little about it that there are no records of their numbers.

ARC’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Tony Gent said: “The smooth snake spends much of its life well-camouflaged in deep stands of mature heather, but it is a genuinely attractive animal – slim, greyish or brownish but often with a rainbow sheen, a black heart-shaped mark on its head and a distinctive black eye-stripe like a mask. It has small scales and the skin is smooth – hence its name.”

He said the smooth snake was having a rough time with its habitats under threat and its secretive behaviour, meaning not enough is known to help the species effectively.

Smooth snakes live in southern England’s lowland heaths, predominately in Dorset, Hampshire and Surrey with isolated populations in West Sussex and Devon. Since 1800, 85 per cent of lowland heath habitats have disappeared and today remain at risk from development pressures, scrub encroachment, accidental and deliberate fires and erosion.

ARC has launched its Snakes in the Heather project with support from a number of other organisations including the RSPB, National Trust, Wildlife Trusts, Plantlife and the Forestry Commission. All have agreed to give access to their land for monitoring and surveys.

The project will:

• Conserve important smooth snake habitats across southern England

• Train hundreds of volunteers to record, monitor and survey smooth snake populations

• Develop an ‘Opportunity Map’ using GIS mapping and data to identify habitats most in need of conservation

• Raise awareness of the smooth snake and inspire people to look after habitats with an ambitious community engagement programme

• Create a Smooth Snake Conservation Handbook to help citizen scientists get involved and to promote understanding of the species’ needs

• Share findings with organisations across the UK to inform future conservation work.

The project will have wider benefits for nature too. The smooth snake is an important part of the ecosystem, feeding mainly on lizards and occasionally small mammals, and helping the smooth snake will enable many other species, common and rare, to thrive, said Dr Gent.