Butterfly Conservation and Severn Trent announce new three-year conservation project

Butterfly Conservation and Severn Trent announce new three-year conservation project - Butterfly Conservation

Grizzled Skipper butterfly (Nigel Kitely) — Grizzled Skipper (Nigel Kitely)

A new three-year conservation project, which aims to reverse the declines of specific species of butterfly and moth in the Midlands area, has been announced by wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation in partnership with Severn Trent.

The project, titled Butterfly Mosaics, will form part of Severn Trent’s Great Big Nature Boost – a scheme that aims to look after water by looking after nature too.

The partnership will focus on developing the habitats of eight target butterfly species in areas across the region, working with local authorities, landowners and other organisations, creating knock-on positive effects for local communities and biodiversity as a whole.

The project will work across over 60 sites across the Midlands (excluding Herefordshire and Lincolnshire) and include the creation of scrapes (removing topsoil) and scallops (indentations in woodland ridges), butterfly banks, scrub and tree removal as well as the planting of larval foodplants. Project delivery will also depend upon work by dedicated volunteers including three Butterfly Conservation area Branches, West Midlands, East Midlands and Warwickshire.

Rhona Goddard, Regional Conservation Manager for the West Midlands at Butterfly Conservation said: “We’re incredibly excited to announce this partnership with Severn Trent and are eager to get started with helping to reverse the declines of so many important butterfly species in this area. As well as being fantastic creatures in their own right, butterflies are also powerful indicators of the health of our environment. So, by investing in this conservation work, we will be benefitting wider local biodiversity too. Thank you to Severn Trent and to our incredible force of conservation volunteers across the region who are enthusiastic to get started. We will especially look forward to measuring how populations start to flourish in spring next year, once the works are well underway.”