Making Peatlands work for Lepidoptera

Peatland restoration taking place at scale in the UK, is focused on carbon sequestration and water regulation. However, there is significant opportunity to provide evidence and advice to ensure this work also delivers for biodiversity. ‘Making Peatlands Work for Lepidoptera’ is a collaboration between Butterfly Conservation and partners delivering nature-based solutions in peatland landscapes across northern England, to investigate and improve the way habitat restoration can support threatened butterfly and moth species.

Spanning over two-and-a-half years, our work will explore how peatland restoration supports threatened wildlife including the Large Heath butterfly and the Dark Bordered Beauty moth. We will develop an action plan for Large Heath throughout its English range, carry out surveys and habitat assessments with the help of trained volunteers, and engage local communities in citizen science and nature recovery actions. For the Dark Bordered Beauty moth, which is confined to just a single English site, we will assess the suitability of potential reintroduction sites and start a captive breeding programme to establish the population in new areas to secure its future.

https://butterfly-conservation.org/making-peatlands-work-for-lepidoptera#:~:text='Making%20Peatlands%20Work%20for%20Lepidoptera,threatened%20butterfly%20and%20moth%20species.