Butterfly Conservation is a UK charity dedicated to saving butterflies, moths, and the natural environment. It is a leading authority on the conservation of these beautiful creatures, working towards a world where butterflies and moths thrive and can be enjoyed by everyone forever.
Their conservation approach combines data and evidence with research on what is driving changing populations to promote best practice habitat management, building partnerships and supporting volunteers to take an active role in nature recovery. Thriving populations of butterflies and moths demonstrate that ecosystems are functioning and that landscapes are resilient to changing land use and climate, providing the evidence of success for broader nature recovery.
Peatland habitats are vital ecosystems that store large amounts of carbon, provide water regulation, and are havens for rare wildlife. Making Peatlands Work for Lepidoptera is a collaboration with partners delivering nature-based solutions in peatland landscapes across northern England to investigate and improve the way habitat restoration also supports threatened species.
Over three years, this project will explore how peatland restoration supports threatened wildlife, including the Large Heath butterfly and the Dark Bordered Beauty moth. Butterfly Conservation will develop an action plan for Large Heath throughout its English range, carry out surveys and habitat assessments with the help of trained volunteers, and engage local communities in citizen science and nature recovery actions. For the Dark Bordered Beauty moth, which is confined to just a single English site, the suitability of potential reintroduction sites will be assessed, and a captive breeding programme will be started to establish the population in new areas to secure its future.
Photos courtesy of Iain H Leach, Tim Melling, Dave Wainwright and Butterfly Conservation
