A number of different species could permanently disappear from the borough, if the future of the neglected beauty spot Darlands Lake is not secured.

Originally developed as an ornamental lake in the 18th Century, it is totally surrounded by woodland and is home to species including ducks, moorhens, carp and goldfish. Controversial plans to allow the area to dry out, could transform the nature reserve into woodland with no special interest to the area.

"It supports a varied wildlife as it has such a mixture of habitats from wetland to woodland," said Annie Chipchase, a regional conservation officer for the London Wildlife Trust. "People like the fact that it has a water environment as it is unique and relaxing."

Many different species such as frogs, toads, grass snakes, ducks, and kingfishers rely upon the lake for survival and still more use it as a water source.

At one time the nature reserve was designated a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) due to the presence of snake-head fritillaries, a rare and pretty plant whose petals resemble the pattern of snake skin.

However, the site lost this classification due to evidence that the fritillaries were planted in the reserve. It does still remain a Grade I-listed site of borough importance.

Clive Cohen, of London Wildlife Trust (Barnet branch), said: "There is a rich biodiversity that exists at Darlands Lake Nature Reserve. There is an even richer biodiversity that could exist with the correct management."

Barnet Council is one of only six London boroughs that does not have a biodiversity action plan which Mr Cohen claimed would create and maintain thriving habitats for flora and fauna across the borough.

Paul Eisenegger is a regular visitor to the site and a member of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). "It is a little paradise, there is nothing else like it in the region," he said.

The nature reserve has been neglected by successive councils for around 20 years and, due to silting, the lake is now quite shallow.

To return the site to its former glory would require the lake to be dredged an expensive process that would require a licence and, more importantly, somewhere for all the silt to be dumped.

Mr Cohen said: "The London Wildlife Trust has shown primary interest in taking on the lease of the nature reserve for 100 to 200 years with ongoing maintenance, but until we know what Barnet Council is proposing to do here we cannot proceed.

"We have every reason to believe that there are people in Totteridge who would be willing to support a fund that ensures the lake's future.

"The aim is to preserve and conserve the rich tapestry of wildlife that can so readily coexist with an ever developing world about us. Because only in this way can children of today grow up to experience what we have been so privileged to enjoy."