The slow race to save Brittany’s rare Quimper snails from a tramway – one gastropod at a time

The Quimper snail comes out at night and are recognised by their shell, which lies flat. Photograph: Fred Tanneau/AFP/Getty Images

On a drizzly November evening, ecologists in Brest, Brittany, are rooting through the damp undergrowth flanking an unmarked and unlit track going nowhere. They are searching for Quimper snails. It’s a slow and meticulous job: the snails are small, come out only at night and prefer the dank, dark cover of soggy leaves and twigs.

Soon, their natural habitat here will be destroyed by a €200m (£170m) public transport project, which includes a new tramway.