A conservation charity says it has purchased a 20-acre nature reserve that supports “some of our most iconic yet threatened wildlife”.

Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust raised £500,000 to buy Archers Green Nature Reserve near Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire.

It is home to a rare chalk stream as well as water voles, otters and snakes.

The trust said the funds came from many donors including “a very generous legacy.”

It said by purchasing the site, the trust prevented the land from “going onto the open market” and putting the wildlife “at risk”.

The latest State of Nature report said UK wildlife continued to decline and its study of more than 10,000 species showed nearly one in six were at threat of extinction.

Skylarks, water voles and harebells plants – all at Archers Green – are deemed at risk.

It is home to a variety of habitats such as lowland meadows, wet woodland, marsh and the River Mimran chalk stream.

Hertfordshire plays host to 10% of the world’s 240 chalk streams which the trust described as “the UK’s equivalent to tropical rainforests”.

The trust’s chief executive Lesley Davies said the “complex habitats” at Archers Green makes it “so special” as a home to “many different plants and animals”.

“Securing the future of wild places like Archers Green is crucial for our planet and our local communities,” she said.

She said that the reserve would strengthen a wildlife corridor along the Mimran Valley, providing “a vital link with nearby sites” such as Panshanger Park and Tewinbury Nature Reserve.

Follow East of England news on Facebook, Instagram and X. Got a story? Email [email protected] or WhatsApp 0800 169 1830