Marsh harriers were reduced to a single pair in Britain by 1971 due to persecution and pesticides. Their recovery to over 600 pairs is one of the success stories of British raptor conservation.
Marsh harrier welfare has transformed from near-extinction to genuine recovery through legal protection, pesticide bans, and habitat creation. Birds nesting in managed reedbeds have good prospects for raising young successfully. Ongoing threats include illegal persecution and loss of wetland habitat, but the recovery trajectory is positive. The marsh harrier story demonstrates that populations can recover from the brink of extinction when the right combination of legal protection and habitat management is applied consistently over decades.