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Natural England has teamed up with Butterfly Conservation and the farming community across the country to help save some of our most threatened butterflies.

Farmland is an important habitat for butterflies and a new project The Farmland Butterfly Initiative (FBI), aims to support farmers in managing their land to help seven of the country’s most endangered butterflies.

The Duke of Burgundy has been reduced to around 100 sites, the High Brown Fritillary has declined to about 50 sites and the Heath Fritillary is only in existence on 40 remaining sites. The other species include the Marsh Fritillary, Lulworth Skipper, Pearl-bordered Fritillary and Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary.

Owners of 150 key farmland sites are being asked to provide the ‘Big Three’ features essential for these butterflies to survive. Using the government’s Higher Level Stewardship scheme (HLS) farmers will receive specific practical guidance from local Natural England Advisers and Butterfly Conservation staff to ensure that farming practices are tailored to the needs of butterfly species.

‘Big Three’ features for butterfly survival are:

By managing habitats to deliver the ‘Big Three’ features for butterflies, other invertebrates such as moths, bees and spiders will benefit too.

Livestock farmer Paul Barnes is determined that his farming practices will help encourage the rare Marsh Fritillary which can be found in areas of damp grassland on his farm in Braithwaite, Cumbria following a re-introduction programme.

Mr Barnes said: “It’s a real privilege for me to have Marsh Fritillary on my land – it’s such a rare species now that I feel a real responsibility to make sure the butterfly can thrive on the farm in the future.

“The advice from Natural England and Butterfly Conservation has been absolutely vital in helping me farm in such a way that help protect this important and beautiful species.”

James Phillips, Manager of Natural England’s Species Recovery Programme said: “This exciting initiative between Butterfly Conservation and Natural England aims to help some of our rarest butterflies across England.

“It’s all about providing the structure of habitat needed for the butterflies to thrive, if we can do this on the sites where they are still to be found then this will make a huge difference to these threatened species. Environmental Stewardship is a great tool to help achieve this. The land management skills of the farming community is crucial to its success. By working with farmers across the country, the Farmland Butterfly Initiative will ensure that Environmental Stewardship delivers the most effective habitat management for butterflies as possible.”

Butterflies play an important role in the natural ecosystem as pollinators and as food in the food chain and they are often seen as indicators of a healthy environment. Environmentally friendly farming schemes such as HLS have been in existence for a number of years and support farmers in maintaining or instigating more sympathetic and less-intensive farming methods to provide habitat for wildlife. Some butterfly species are starting to benefit, including some of our most rapidly declining species, but others are not faring so well, the initiative looks to give these species an extra helping hand with HLS.

Dr Caroline Bulman, Butterfly Conservation’s Senior Species Ecologist said: “This is an exciting opportunity to work with farmers to reverse the decline of some of our most highly threatened butterfly species. In future years it is hoped that this initiative can be widened to incorporate other butterflies and farmland moths present in the wider countryside”.

For further information contact:

Linzee Kottman on 0300 060 2058, 07824334819, linzee.j.kottman@naturalengland.org.uk out of hours 07970 098005.
For more information about Natural England, please visit: www.naturalengland.org.uk
Follow us on Twitter: @NaturalEngland

Photos available on request of the seven key butterflies and the ‘Big Three’ features for butterfly survival.

About Natural England

Natural England is the government’s independent adviser on the natural environment. Established in 2006 our work is focused on enhancing England’s wildlife and landscapes and maximising the benefits they bring to the public.

• We establish and care for England’s main wildlife and geological sites, ensuring that over 4,000 National Nature Reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest are looked after and improved.

• We work to ensure that England’s landscapes are effectively protected, designating England’s National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and advising widely on their conservation.

• We run Environmental Stewardship and other green farming schemes that deliver over £400 million a year to farmers and landowners, enabling them to enhance the natural environment across two thirds of England’s farmland.

• We fund, manage, and provide scientific expertise for hundreds of conservation projects each year, improving the prospects for thousands of England’s species and habitats.

• We promote access to the wider countryside, helping establish National Trails and coastal trails and ensuring that the public can enjoy and benefit from them. 

About Butterfly Conservation

Butterfly Conservation is the largest charity of its type in the world. Our aim is the conservation of butterflies, moths and our environment. We run conservation programmes for more than 100 threatened species and manage over 30 nature reserves.