A REVIEW OF BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION IN CENTRAL SOUTHERN BRITAIN .1. PROTECTION, EVALUATION AND EXTINCTION ON PRIME SITES

A major review of butterfly conservation was conducted from 1985 to 19 87 in central southern Britain where semi-natural habitats are highly fragmented. Of the 308 sites surveyed, 67% had been protected as statu tory Sites of Special Scientific Interest, but three nationally and 20 regionally important sites were not notified. Over half the sites wer e privately owned and about 23% were owned or managed by conservation organisations. Of the 2248 definite colonies of key species identified , 384 had become extinct, mostly over the last 40 years. Two of the 29 key species had become totally extinct on the study sites and the doc umented (minimum) loss rate amongst Red Data Book or Scarce species ha d been 37%. Moreover, the losses had been just as great on protected a s on unprotected land, and for many species this trend continued in th e 1980s. The main conclusion of the study is that many of Britain's ra rer species are not being conserved effectively under the present syst em of site protection and a comprehensive conservation strategy for bu tterflies is needed. The results have wider implications for the conse rvation of biodiversity in fragmented landscapes and suggest that grea ter emphasis should be placed on the management of habitat fragments a nd the better integration of protected areas into the surrounding land scape.