A REVIEW OF BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION IN CENTRAL SOUTHERN BRITAIN .2. SITE MANAGEMENT AND HABITAT SELECTION OF KEY SPECIES

Management for conservation, habitat selection and use of agricultural land is examined on 308 sites in fragmented habitats in southern Britain for 29 key butterfly species. About 32% of calcicolous grassland sites were unmanaged and 21% were only partly managed either for agriculture or conservation. Corresponding figures for neutral-acidophilous grasslands were 42% and 10%. Although there have been short-term gains for some species preferring longer turf the habitats on such sites are steadily deteriorating with serious implications for butterflies as well as the characteristic plant and animal communities they support. On managed sites, little obvious preference was found between sheep and cattle grazing for most species, but the latter was prevalent on sites with Eurodryas aurinia and Cupido minimus. Although most key species prefer slopes with a southerly aspect in the study area, E. aurinia seems to prefer westerly and Hamearis lucina northerly aspects. Two-thirds of the woodlands covered had been extensively replanted, mostly with alien conifer species but were still valuable, particularly for species requiring clearings in woods. Such species have been greatly reduced by recent changes in forest practice (notably the cessation of coppicing) and are expected to decline further in the future because of the transient nature of their current habitats. Possible solutions are discussed including the need for a conservation strategy for butterflies and appropriate management of fragmented habitats.