WIREDGOV

An extensive conservation programme at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory’s (Dstl) site at Porton Down, near Salisbury, has dramatically increased the knowledge and amount of rare wildlife on the site.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) facility, in association with Butterfly Conservation, has seen dramatic results from the assessment of a number of rare species on the range, which boasts a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) more than 1500 hectares in extent.

In May 2010 the country’s leading butterfly experts, from Butterfly Conservation, and volunteers from Dstl’s Conservation Group carried out a two-day survey of the SSSI counting species and numbers of endangered butterflies. Fifty volunteers were split into small groups, each containing experts on butterflies and the range, and surveyed each area of the range deemed suitable for the, endangered butterfly species, Duke of Burgundy.

Dstl’s Conservation officer, Stuart Corbett said: “We were delighted with what we found. At the end of the survey we had counted 256 Duke of Burgundy butterflies.

The species decline means most sites would be lucky to record 10, and the butterflies are now present at less than 20 woodland sites, and less than 100 sites overall, in the UK. For them to be doing so well at Porton Down is brilliant.”

The decline has been linked to changing practices in the management of woodland areas, such as the cessation of hazel coppicing, resulting in a canopy that inhibits the growth of primrose and cowslip plants – where the Duke of Burgundy lays it eggs. As years have progressed, cowslip and primrose have become less widespread in woodland areas and butterfly colony numbers have plummeted with them.

By carrying out woodland management practices, including coppicing, on the range, the Dstl conservation team allows light to reach the woodland floor and this promotes the development of primrose and cowslip. Engineering these new feeding habitats has provided a boost to threatened butterfly populations across the site.

The efforts of the Dstl Conservation Group and Butterfly Conservation have also allowed migration of the endangered Duke of Burgundy populations to new parts of the range. Butterfly Conservation’s expert on the species, Dan Hoare announced, at the close of the survey, that the Duke of Burgundy had been recorded in at least two previously unoccupied locations.

The Duke of Burgundy is not the only endangered species benefiting from conservation actions at Porton Down. Also found in good numbers of more than 50 was another threatened species, the Pearl-bordered Fritillary, along with four Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries, a threatened species not recorded at Porton Down for many, many years.

Dan Hoare, Butterfly Conservation said: “It's fantastic news that such rare species are thriving at Porton Down, and it highlights how important this unique landscape is for wildlife. Dstl can use these butterfly populations as an indicator of the success of their land management, and Butterfly Conservation will be working with them to ensure that these species are flying high here for years to come."

ENDS

For more information contact the Dstl press office on 01980 658088, 07766 134768, press@dstl.gov.uk.

Notes to editors:

The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) leads the defence science and technology sector’s response to the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) current operations and future defence strategy. Dstl’s work saves lives in the UK, overseas and on the frontline.

Dstl maximises the impact of science and technology (S&T) for defence and security requirements, working with industry and academia to deliver battle-winning technologies. It identifies real S&T advances and works to pull ideas rapidly in to service.

Dstl also works with other government departments, exploiting its expertise and knowledge to improve the safety and security of UK citizens.

The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory is a trading fund of the Ministry of Defence and is accountable to government, to the taxpayer and the troops it supports in the field every day.

Around 3,600 of the nation’s most talented and creative scientists, technologists and engineers work for Dstl at its three main sites: Porton Down, near Salisbury, Portsdown West, near Portsmouth, and Fort Halstead, near Sevenoaks.

Butterfly Conservation is the largest insect conservation charity in Europe with nearly 15,000 members in the UK. Its aim is the conservation of butterflies, moths and their habitats. It runs conservation programmes on over 100 threatened species of butterfly and moth as well as world leading recording and monitoring programmes. It helped found Butterfly Conservation Europe, an umbrella organisation aimed at stimulating and co-ordinating the conservation of butterflies, moths and their habitats across Europe. This has a network of 37 partners in 35 countries. Further information  www.butterfly-conservation.org

The last three years have seen butterflies in the UK hit an all-time low with almost half of them now under threat. To help bring an end to this, Marks & Spencer and the charity Butterfly Conservation have formed a partnership – ‘Making Butterflies Count’, to take action and conserve these vital species.

Butterflies are one of the most threatened of all wildlife groups in the UK:

· Seven out of every 10 UK butterflies are declining and half are threatened with extinction

· Five species of butterfly are extinct in the UK, and the situation for moths is worse with over 60 species already extinct Butterflies and moths are very sensitive to environmental change, which makes them very good indicators of the health of the countryside. They are essential for the pollination of plants, and caterpillars provide food for many birds and other wildlife. If the UK lost all of its butterflies and moths, the nation would see a big drop in numbers of other wildlife including birds and impacts on crop yields.