West Weald Landscape Project Conference: Pearl-bordered fritillaries

South Downs National Park Authority

A species on the brink

Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Dan HoareButterfly Conservation

70% of butterflies are in decline

Thomas, J.A. et al. 2004, Science 303, 1879.

Datasets from last 20-40 years

Habitat specialists (blue) and wider countryside species (red)

Woodland (green) and farmland (brown)

Woodland butterflies by habitat

0

50

100

150

200

250

1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009

Inde

x (1

985

= 10

0)

Rides

Clearings

Mature

All

-80%

Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Declining abundance

• 66% population decline since 1976

• 46% decline from 1995-9 to 2005-9

Declining distribution

• 61% distribution decline 1970-2004

• 43% decline in occupied 10km squares in 10 years

South East colonies since 1995

South East colonies

• 12 established sites (more than 50 extinctions since 1990s)

• 2 recent colonisations on chalk grassland

• 3 ongoing reintroductions

Landscape boundary

Woodland sites

Landscape-scale species conservation

Landscape boundary

Unmanaged 2007

Managed 2007

Tytherley Woods 2007

Landscape boundary

Unmanaged 2007

Managed 2007

Pearl-bordered Fritillary 2007

Pearl-bordered Fritillary 2007

Landscape boundary

Unmanaged 2007

Managed 2007

Pearl-bordered Fritillary 2007

2km focal area around colonies

Targeted management 2007-11

Landscape boundaryLandscape boundary

Unmanaged 2010

Managed 2010

Pearl-bordered Fritillary 2007

2km focal area around colonies

Targeted management 2007-11

Pearl-bordered Fritillary colonisations 2008-2011

Landscape boundary

Unmanaged 2010

Managed 2010

Pearl-bordered Fritillary 2007

2km focal area around colonies

Colonisations 2008-11

South East colonies• species can be brought

back from the brink with targeted effort

• species responses demonstrate the success of habitat management

• but it takes a lot of effort...

Biological Records Centre