DORSET is helping to hold back the destruction of endangered species on Britain's heathlands.

Conservationists say endangered heathland species are facing an increased threat of extinction in many parts of the country.

But 98 per cent of the scarce habitat in Dorset - there are more than 300 small sites - are protected.

This means species such as sand lizard, Dartford warbler, nightjar and woodlark are thriving.

"We are ahead of the game compared to the rest of the country," said Dante Munns, Dorset area manager for the RSPB, which created its first managed heathland reserve at Arne in the 1960s.

Now Dorset holds 11 per cent of the UK's heathland, which at one time was 40,000 hectares, now dwindled to around 7,000 hectares.

The majority of the county's heathland is designated as SSSIs or the European SPA, where nationally only one-third is protected.

A UK study for a number of groups including Natural England has warned that many heaths which do not have legal conservation protection were in poor condition.

Natural England chairman Sir Martin Doughty has called for immediate action to save the lowland heath to prevent endangered animals, birds and plants disappearing - and said more areas should be considered for protection.

In Dorset, many groups work together to protect and manage areas, but more could be done to provide buffer zones or in joining small areas together, said Mr Munns.

However, Dartford warbler numbers have swelled from a handful of pairs to 754 of the UK's 2,500; nightjars are 751 out of 4,000 in the UK, while woodlark are 153 strong out of 1,741.

Poole has many pockets of heathland, including Upton Heath, Ham Common and Canford Heath.

Clive Smith, head of leisure services at the Borough of Poole, said: "We take our responsibility for the management of heathland for protected species extremely seriously.

"Over the past few years, the Borough of Poole has designated its principal heathland sites as Local Nature Reserves, meaning that conservation of their wildlife will be treated as a priority.

"As part of this we have a management scheme in place to protect these areas and have carried our works such as scrub control, pond creation and fire risk reduction to help conserve the rare species present."