Without attention being paid to all these issues any serious attempt at conservation will fail. Legislation is required from government bodies to ensure adequate protection for the otter, which has of course now been achieved. Education of the public, landowners and industrial bodies as to the problems and what can be done is essential. The otter has done well in this respect being an attractive animal has no doubt helped along with current debates over drinking water quality and hunting of wild animals.
Habitat improvement is also vital to the successful conservation of any species.
So far as otters are concerned organisations such as the Environment Agency, particularly its branch that was previously known as the National Rivers Authority and the Vincent Wildlife Trust Otter Haven Project have made good progress. It would appear now that otter numbers are on the increase and that the conservation of our otter in this country has been a success. But, sadly, traffic is now the major cause of death and as our roads become more and more congested this problem will not go away. Underpasses are being constructed where busy roads cross known otter territories but of course there are nowhere near enough and often the otters refuse to use them being unhappy to enter a dark hole with no visible exit. This problem has been made worse by the fact that otters do now appear to have become much less nocturnal than in the past, possibly because they are no longer persecuted in the same way.