There was a time when it looked like the water vole, that elusive animal immortalised by The Wind in the Willows, would disappear forever.

Their numbers had declined by 94 per cent in 60 years and by 2000 they were close to extinction in many areas of Scotland.

But now the shy creature is making a reappearance - in fact, it is thriving in some parts of the country and has been spotted in areas where it has not been seen for more than 30 years.

This is good news and James Silvey, of the RSPB, who has carried out a major study on voles, says he hopes their numbers will continue to grow. But we cannot relax yet: the water vole is still extremely rare.

What has helped its partial recovery is the fact that in the Trossachs and other areas there have been projects to reintroduce the water vole and protect the habitats it likes.

There are many other projects like it aimed at protecting other species (about one-fifth of Scotland's seas are now in Marine Protected Areas, for example) but too many of our species - the wildcat, the corncrake, the red squirrel - are still threatened. Creating more protected places where they can thrive is the key to their future.