The Environment Agency said it has been working with Natural England to secure the white-clawed crayfish’s future across the country.
In Nottinghamshire, a partnership to protect the species has been formed among various groups.
This has included the Nottinghamshire Biodiversity Action Group, White Post Farm, and other environmental groups from further afield.
Staff and volunteers are creating new safe havens, known as “ark sites”, for the crayfish to relocate to, and moving numbers of them that are under threat to these protected sites.
Erin McDaid, from the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, said losing the native species would be “heart-breaking”.
He added: “Our waterways wouldn’t be the same if they went extinct as they keep the ecosystems in our rivers healthy. If a native species like that goes, the environment around it is impacted pretty badly.
“We really want to prevent that, and volunteers play a vital role in helping to stop that from happening.”