Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (Boloria selene). Photo: James Lindsey at Ecology of Commanster - Click photo to enlarge.

Durham Wildlife Trust and Northumbrian Water have launched a new project to protect rare species in the face of climate change, starting with County Durham‘s rarest butterfly.

At the heart of the project is the small pearl-bordered fritillary, a butterfly which has declined by more than 93% in recent times.
Reasons for this include:

• Habitat loss through agricultural intensification, afforestation and development.
• Declines in habitat quality through agricultural abandonment and changes in woodland management.
• Habitat fragmentation and isolation

The historic range of the small pearl bordered fritillary in County Durham included the heaths and shallow valleys around the central belt of the County and the project area, over 29,000 sq ha concentrated around these areas.

Project officer Sue Charlton. Photo courtesy http://www.lowbarns.co.uk

Sue Charlton, Heart of Durham Project Officer, based at the Trust’s Low Barns offices near Witton le Wear, said: “With the help of local landowners and local communities, over the next five years, the project aims to secure the remaining relic areas of heathland, mire, wet and unimproved grassland by ensuring that existing designated Local Wildlife Sites are effectively managed.

“We then aim to, where possible, expand these sites and identify others with the aim of linking all these areas together. Ultimately this will increase the amount of available habitat and allow species to move through the landscape, not only to expand their range but also be able to move in response to a changing climate.”

These habitats are not only home to the small pearl bordered fritillary, but many other species of conservation concern, including the dark green fritillary, adder, grass snake, lapwing, curlew and many more.

The project funded by Northumbrian Water is part of a national network of projects run by the Wildlife Trusts (Living Landscapes) and Northumbrian Water (Branch Out), which eventually aim to provide a national network of high quality habitat which will allow wildlife to thrive and adapt in an uncertain future.

For more information, contact
Sue Charlton, ?Heart of Durham Project Officer
Durham Wildlife Trust?Low Barns, Witton-le-Wear, Bishop Auckland, Co. Durham, DL14 0AG ?Tel: 01388 488728

Don’t forget to help spread North East Nature Nature Watch news to your friends, family, colleagues and online social network, It’s so quick and easy to do. If you have a Twitter account then simply click on the green Tweet button at the start of the page. You can also click on the “Share This” link below to flag up the page via email, Twitter (again),Facebook, Myspace, StumbleUpon, Digg and any of your favourite social media networks. Go on do it now, it only takes a few seconds. Thanks:)