Fen violet  (Viola persicifolia)

Habitat loss, drainage and inapropriate management of fenland sites have contributed to the decline of this violet (5).

The fen violet is included in English Nature's Species Recovery Programme. English Nature is funding a monitoring programme for the species, and seed has been collected for the Millenium Seed Bank at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, and for the University of Oxford's Botanic Garden (2). There are plans to introduce the species to a site where it can be appreciated by the public (2). Both of the Cambridgeshire sites where fen violet occurs are National Nature Reserves (5), and the species is fully protected under Schedule 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (4).