mini - beasts - invertebrates, insects

Butterfly Conservation

The alarming decline of many beautiful butterflies after the last war led a small group of dedicated naturalists, headed by Sir Peter Scott, to form Butterfly Conservation in 1968 as the British Butterfly Conservation Society.

The aim of the new Society was to try to halt the decline of these lovely insects and at the same time help safeguard the environment itself. Specifically they aimed to conserve both butterflies and moths, as well as the habitats on which they depend.

Since that time Butterfly Conservation has grown steadily to become the largest insect conservation organisation in Europe and possibly even the world. We now have over 30 regional branches covering the whole of the UK which carry out the vital local conservation tasks. The branches are backed by a central organisation responsible for co-ordination, fund-raising, research and national policy matters. We have offices in England, Scotland and Wales from which staff operate to help stimulate and guide local and national action.

We have achieved a lot in a short space of time, but there is still much left to do as the pressures on our countryside are as great as ever, and we have inherited a long legacy of destruction that will take many decades to remedy.

The Invertebrate Conservation Trust

Buglife-The Invertebrate Conservation Trust is the first organisation in Europe committed to the conservation of all invertebrates. Our aim is to prevent invertebrate extinctions and maintain sustainable populations of invertebrates in the UK, by:

Undertaking and promoting crucial study and research

Promoting sound management of land and water to maintain and enhance invertebrate biodiversity

Supporting the conservation work of other entomological and conservation organisations

Promoting education and publicising invertebrates and their conservation, and influencing invertebrate conservation in Europe and worldwide.