Butterfly Conservation has raised awareness of the drastic decline in butterflies and moths, and created widespread acceptance that action needs to be taken. Through our conservation work, we have also begun to reverse the decline of several of our most threatened species.
We run three of the world's largest butterfly and moth recording schemes which together have gathered over 46 million records.
Our monitoring shows that several of our most threatened butterflies and moths are beginning to recover thanks to our landscape-scale projects. Successes include the Pearl-bordered Fritillary, High Brown Fritillary, Duke of Burgundy, Wood White, Heath Fritillary, Marsh Fritillary, Small Blue, Grey Carpet and Forester moths.
We play a leading role in a broad partnership which has successfully re-introduced the Large Blue to the UK after it became extinct.
The data from our recording and monitoring schemes has been compiled into butterfly and moth reports which provide a sound evidence base for further research and have been used to inform policy development.
Over 15,000 active volunteers contribute work worth £18 million per year - equivalent to almost 650 full-time staff.
We have grown to become one of the largest insect conservation organisations in the world, with a membership of over 40,000 which is increasing every year.
Our President, Sir David Attenborough is a fantastic ambassador for Butterfly Conservation and continues to support our work.
Over 297,000 people have taken part in our annual Big Butterfly Count, the world's biggest survey of butterflies.
We have persuaded the UK Government to accept butterflies and moths as official biodiversity indicators, and general indicators of the environment and climate change.
We manage more than 30 nature reserves which cover over 793 hectares (1,960 acres) of land. Conservation work is ongoing on each site and includes several major habitat restoration projects.
Our guides on how to manage habitats for butterflies and moths are widely used by landowners and managers.
We have over 1,600 events every year to take action on key sites and introduce people to the wonders of butterflies and moths.
We have been pivotal in the establishment of Butterfly Conservation Europe, a pan-European body to ensure conservation on a continent-wide basis.
Our strategy to 2026 and beyond sets out three key goals to drive forward our work: making a pledge for the impact we will make on threatened species, doubling our impact on landscape restoration and involving people in transforming spaces for butterflies and moths.
Full details can be seen in our annual reports, reviews and accounts.
To stay up-to-date with the progress we are making in saving butterflies, moths and the environment read our news feed, like us on Facebook or follow us on Instagram.