The Queen Conch is the first of several endangered native species to receive Government protection.

Strombus gigas was abundant in Bermuda until the late 1960s but by the end of the Seventies, populations had reached very low levels.

At present, most of the Queen Conch in the Island's waters are 'old individuals', with substantial algal and coral growth.

Few juveniles have been seen, raising concern for the species' survival.

Although the species has been protected from removal from the water since the Fisheries Act 1978, it has only recently been listed under the Protected Species Act 2003 as "endangered".

The Queen Conch is now the first subject of a series of action plans to conserve Bermuda's marine and terrestrial threatened species.

The Department of Conservation Services has just published the first Protected Species Recovery Plan for Bermuda, and work on conserving the Queen Conch will start this summer.

A preliminary list by Conservation Services recognises 27 plants, birds, animals and marine organisms, plus 21 cave organisms, as threatened and 'listed' according to international criteria.

A Government spokesman said recovery plans for the other species will be published "in the next few months".

The targeted plants include the Bermuda Cedar, Palmetto and Yellowwood, plus fern and flowering plant species.

The wildlife to be protected includes the Cahow, Longtail, White-eyed Vireo, Skink, turtles, whales, a species of snail, the tiny Cave Shrimp and other crustaceans.

The Bermuda Protected Species Act 2003 allows for the listing of threatened species and recovery plans for active intervention, in order to enhance population levels.

The Protected Species Recovery Plan project is headed by Dr. Samia Sarkis of Conservation Services and is funded by the UK Overseas Territory Environmental Programme (OTEP).

The Government spokesman said: "Many of these species have been passively protected in the past with a range of conservation efforts by various groups.

"The mandated recovery plans bring together all past and current conservation work, providing guidance and a structured programme for all parties involved both governmental and non-governmental aiming towards the self-sustainability of the species.

"Recently listed as 'endangered' under the Bermuda Protected Species Act 2003, the Queen Conch recovery plan brings to light the little recovery observed in the Bermuda populations, despite a complete ban from fishing and/or taking since 1978 under Bermudian legislation. Aside from passive protection, there has been no conservation programme for this species to date."

The recovery plans for Bermuda's threatened species will be available for the public to view at: www.gov.bm.