UK Butterflies

Building a Community of Responsible Butterfly Enthusiasts in Britain & Ireland

Conservation Status

This page describes various aspects of the conservation status of species regularly found in the British Isles.

UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP)

The UK BAP is a UK Government initiative that commits to protection of "biological resources" that includes species and their habitats. A major review took place in 2007, resulting in many butterfly species being added to the list. Species-specific BAPs are created at both a national and local level. Those species with BAPs are listed below - click on a name to see a PDF file representing the BAP for that species. BAP information has been taken from the UK BAP Website at jncc.defra.gov.uk.

Occurrence (Distribution) and Abundance (Population) Trends

The tables below show the occurrence (distribution) and abundance (population) trends of species regularly found in Britain and Ireland. The information provided is taken from The State of the UK's Butterflies 2015 (Fox, 2015).