Butterfly Conservation

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Butterfly Conservation
AbbreviationBC
Formation1968
Legal statusNonprofit
PurposeImproving the environment for butterflies and moths.
Location
Area served
UK-wide
MembershipMore than 40,000
President
Sir David Attenborough
Chief Executive
Julie Williams
Websitebutterfly-conservation.org

Butterfly Conservation is a UK-wide nonprofit environmentalist organisation and charity dedicated to conserving butterflies, moths, and the environment. The charity uses its research to provide advice on how to conserve and restore butterfly and moth habitats and it runs projects to protect more than 100 threatened species of Lepidoptera.[1] Butterfly Conservation is also involved in conserving hundreds of sites and reserves for butterflies and moths throughout the UK.

Butterfly Conservation has more than 37,000 members and 31 volunteer-led branches throughout the UK, as well as the European Butterflies Group. The organisation's head office is based in East Lulworth, Dorset, with additional offices in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

History

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The organisation was originally formed in 1968 as the British Butterfly Conservation Society by a small group of naturalists and it was registered as a charity on 7 March 1968. It was incorporated as a company on 17 December 1987, and changed its name to Butterfly Conservation in December 2003.[2]

Sir David Attenborough became President of the society in 1998. It launched its annual butterfly survey - the Big Butterfly Count - in 2010. The charity celebrated its 50th anniversary year in 2018.

Activities

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Butterfly Conservation aims to maintain and enhance landscapes for butterflies and moths. The charity provides advice to landowners and managers on how to conserve and restore habitats. Its staff and volunteers work to gather extensive butterfly and moth data and conduct research to provide the scientific evidence that underpins and informs the charity's work.

Butterfly Conservation has an established record of reversing declines and run programmes for more than 100 threatened species of butterflies and moths.

Butterfly Conservation operates three of the world’s largest butterfly and moth recording schemes, which together have gathered more than 60 million records. This includes the world's largest butterfly survey, the Big Butterfly Count. This citizen science survey encourages people to spot and record common butterflies and two day-flying moths during three weeks of high summer.[3][4]

The charity also runs a number of moths schemes and conservation activities focusing solely on the conservation of moths that people can get involved in.

Butterfly Conservation produces three editions of its membership magazine Butterfly every year. The magazine is distributed to members, institutions, conservation bodies and others interested or involved in the conservation of butterflies, moths and related wildlife. The publication has an estimated readership of 60,000.

Reserves

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Butterfly Conservation manages over 30 nature reserves, mostly in England.[5]

Scotland

Wales

Organisational structure

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Butterfly Conservation is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England (2206468). Registered Office: Manor Yard, East Lulworth, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 5QP. Charity registered in England and Wales (254937) and in Scotland (SCO39268) VAT No GB 991 2771 89.

President: Sir David Attenborough has served as President of the charity since 1998.

Chief executive: Julie Williams (2017–present day). Previously (2003–2016): Dr. Martin Warren

Vice Presidents: Maurice Avent, Nick Baker, John F Burton, Dudley Cheeseman, Sue Collins, The Earl of Cranbrook, David Dennis, Mike Dilger, Clive Farrell, Julian Gibbs, Ian Hardy MVO, David Hanson, Anthony Hoare, Chris Packham, Prof Jeremy Thomas OBE and Alan Titchmarsh MBE. Prior to his death in 2004, Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 10th Earl of Shaftesbury served as a Vice president of the charity.[11]

UK branches

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The organisation has over 30 volunteer-led branches across the UK.[12]

  • Bedfordshire and Northants
  • Cambridgeshire and Essex
  • Cheshire and Wirral
  • Cornwall
  • Cumbria
  • Devon
  • Dorset
  • East Midlands
  • East Scotland
  • Glasgow and South West Scotland
  • Gloucestershire
  • Hampshire & Isle of Wight
  • Hertfordshire and Middlesex
  • Highlands and Islands
  • Kent and South East London
  • Lancashire
  • Lincolnshire
  • Northern Ireland
  • Norfolk
  • North East England
  • North Wales
  • South Wales
  • Somerset and Bristol
  • Suffolk Branch
  • Surrey and South West London
  • Sussex[13]
  • Upper Thames[14]
  • Warwickshire
  • West Midlands[15]
  • Wiltshire
  • Yorkshire[16]

The European Butterflies Group has also been established as a BC volunteer-led branch, which promotes the study, conservation and enjoyment of butterflies, moths and their habitats in Europe.[17]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Science". Butterfly Conservation. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  2. ^ "BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION Company number 02206468". Companies House. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
  3. ^ White, Marcus (9 September 2025). "Butterfly species fail to surge despite hot summer". BBC News. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
  4. ^ Ruck, Joanna; Rourke, Sara (9 September 2025). "Top 10 most-sighted butterflies in 2025's Big Butterfly Count – in pictures". Guardian. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
  5. ^ "Reserves". Butterfly Conservation. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  6. ^ "Butterfly Conservation secures future of vital Hampshire reserve". Bird Guides. 27 May 2025. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
  7. ^ "Prees Heath Common Reserve". Butterfly Conservation. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
  8. ^ "Ryton Wood Meadows, Warwickshire". Butterfly Conservation. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
  9. ^ "Carmarthenshire Nature Reserve Upgrade Supports Rare Butterfly Conservation". BusinessNewsWales. 26 August 2025. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
  10. ^ "Conservation project supports rare butterfly in Denbighshire". Denbighshire Free Press. 8 May 2025. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
  11. ^ Earl of Shaftesbury's Obituary
  12. ^ "In your area". Butterfly Conservation. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
  13. ^ Sussex Butterflies. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
  14. ^ Upper Thames Butterflies. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
  15. ^ West Midlands Butterflies. Retrieved 23 September 2025.]
  16. ^ Yorkshire Butterflies. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
  17. ^ European Butterflies Group. Retrieved 23 September 2025; see also BC Europe.
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