Butterfly Conservation – Sussex Branch : Conservation Activity 2006

This report outlines some of the amazing range of conservation work undertaken by Butterfly Conservation staff and volunteers in Sussex in 2006 to protect our butterflies, moths and their habitats. Most of this work would not be possible without the financial support that comes from our members – if you are not yet a member, please do consider joining to allow us to continue our work. Roy Neeve, Chair, Sussex Butterfly Conservation

 

Our conservation work is inevitably focused on the county’s rarest species and their associated habitats. It includes a combination of specific work targeted at key species, such as woodland fritillaries, Wood White and Duke of Burgundy, and broader initiatives to increase our ability to meet the challenges facing us. Much of this work is done cooperatively with other organisations such as the South Downs Joint Committee, Forestry Commission, RSPB, private landowners and many more.

In particular, we do targeted advisory work, disseminating our knowledge to practitioners in many different organisations. For example, in 2006:

• we visited the few remaining sites for Pearl-bordered and Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, ensuring that the sites are well managed · we organised a Woodland Butterfly Seminar for Forestry Commission staff at Rewell Wood.
• we undertook site management visits to Vert Wood, Old Lodge Warren, Verdley Wood, Ashpark Wood, Abbots Wood, Plashett Wood, Rewell Wood, Powdermill Wood, Hooksway, West Dean Woods
• we advised on a ride scalloping programme for Chiddingfold Forest and on a review of the Forest Development Plan there
• we organised and delivered butterfly survey training days for 75 South Downs Joint Committee volunteers
• we advised and contributed financially to conservation projects for the Duke of Burgundy on several downland sites

We contribute financially to projects, which in 2006 included coppicing and ride-widening in Laughton Common Wood, and a contribution of £1500 towards the developing South East Woodlands Project which will address declines in woodland butterflies and moths across the South East through management, training and public education.

We undertake practical conservation work at our Park Corner Heath reserve, helping maintain the right conditions for Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries and other butterfly and moth species there.

We communicate about the problems being faced by our butterflies and moths to as wide an audience as possible. In 2006:

• we set up a website for the county in January, which was visited 19,530 times through to the end of December
• we ran an extensive programme of walks, open to the public as well as members, including a packed Save Our Butterflies Week in July
• we did TV, radio and newspaper work to improve public awareness of butterfly and moth conservation work, including pieces for BBC Countryfile, BBC South East Today, and an item on moths for BBC’s Inside Out
• produced four newsletters for our members

We monitor the county’s butterflies. In 2006:

• we monitored the Pearl-bordered Fritillary reintroduction at Abbots Wood
• we organised a Regional Monitoring Group for Surrey, Berks & NE Hants & expanded this to include Sussex
• we produced our annual butterfly report from all the records received from members and the public · volunteers undertook butterfly counts on 30 transects across the county, our prime means of monitoring annual changes in butterfly populations
• we collated butterfly records from branch members, partner organisations and members of the public, produced an annual report, and disseminated our data to the Sussex Biodiversity Records Centre so that it can be used to.

We imagine our 2007 work programme will be just as busy and varied. Remember that everyone can help our work – you can contribute records, you can help with official monitoring schemes, you can attend our work parties, you can garden for butterflies to help them where you live, and of course you can join Butterfly Conservation. Whatever you can do, it is help much appreciated.