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The Heath Fritillary

Britain's biggest-ever butterfly conservation scheme was launched today.

The £900,000 project is seeking to encourage butterflies back into the gloomy woodlands of South East England.

Butterfly numbers in the region have declined in recent years because of mismanagement of woodlands, according to Butterfly Conservation (BC), the group behind the campaign.

Many woods have become overgrown and neglected, leading to a lack of sunlight which has killed off plants that caterpillars feed on and butterflies rely on for nectar.

As a result woodland butterfly numbers have plummeted, with species such as the Pearl-bordered Fritillary down by two thirds in the past 30 years, according to BC.

BC's three-year project will aim to propagate better woodland management among landowners in a bid to make the area's woods lighter, sunnier places.

BC members of gathered for the launch at Tytherley Woods on the Hampshire/Wiltshire border today to show off a well-maintained wood which they manage.

Woodland project manager Dr Dan Hoare said: "This is the biggest ever butterfly conservation project in Britain both financially and in geographical scale.

"Butterflies are disappearing fast in the South East. Creating large tracts of healthy woodland landscape will let these species thrive.

"We'll show woodland owners what can be achieved and what grants are available. Simple woodland management can make use of this precious resource and let wildlife thrive.

"Woods needn't be all dark and oppressive. We need light and we need butterflies. It's about actively managing woodland. Most people don't realise that to manage a wood properly you need to cut some trees down from time to time."

He said many Pearl-bordered Fritillary had been seen this year at Tytherley.

"These rare butterflies have been given a boost by the current sunshine," he said.

Tytherley is one of three wooded landscapes under BC control. The others are at Rother Woods near Rye, East Sussex, and Denge Woods near Canterbury, Kent.

According to BC, Duke of Burgundy numbers are down by 50 per cent over the past three decades, with Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary down 38 per cent, the Heath Fritillary 38 per cent, Silver-washed Fritillary 38 per cent, Wood White 72 per cent and the Purple Emperor down 64 per cent.

Despite being very built-up, the South East - Kent, Surrey, Hampshire, Middlesex, Hertfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire - is still 14 per cent woodland.

Among the donors funding the scheme are by Heritage Lottery Fund and the Tubney Charitable Trust.

Jonathan Spencer, senior ecologist at Forestry Commission England, a partner in the scheme, said: "This exciting project is bringing action into the woods where it's most needed to stop biodiversity declines."

5:08pm Wednesday 14th May 2008

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