The Duke of Burgundy is one of the UK's fastest declining butterflies, having suffered a population drop of 35 per cent from 1979 to 2008 and disappeared from at least 153 known sites.

This species is reliant on scrubby calcareous grassland and sunny woodland clearings. Changes in agricultural and forestry land management have led to habitat like this becoming overgrown. As the Duke of Burgundy has struggled to find the plants it needs to breed and prosper, it has become extinct across much of the UK.

Butterfly Conservation is leading the fight to save this fascinating butterfly, and recent work by volunteers in Kent and Sussex have shown that populations can recover quickly with the right habitat management. Through the Dukes on the Edge project we're helping local communities across South East England take action to bring back this species to the landscapes in which it once thrived.

Project aims:

• to assess the status of the Duke of Burgundy and its habitat
• to maintain and enhance existing habitat and create new Duke of Burgundy habitat (e.g. through coppicing, ride management, scrub management)
• Reintroductions on selected sites
• Monitoring the impact of management on habitat condition and the butterfly's population.

Project activities:

• Public events to raise awareness of the conservation importance of the South Downs for the Duke of Burgundy
• Training events for volunteers to enable them to participate in conservation tasks, surveying and monitoring
• Mapping of the locations of managed habitat, together with Duke of Burgundy records on GIS
• The creation of a Dukes on the Edge Action Group

Contact

Dr Dan Hoare

T: 023 9259 7612

dhoare@butterfly-conservation.org

Funders

News

The Dukes on the Edge Project started in 2011 and runs until 2014. This winter we're gathering information on where the species is found in the region to help us set priorities for the next three years of action. We've already started providing advice for land managers on how to improve habitats for the Duke of Burgundy, and are planning a series of workshops and training events across the region in 2012. There'll be events in the Kent Downs, the South Downs and the Chilterns, so look out for more information on an event near you.

This winter also sees the start of a programme of targeted habitat improvements at some important Duke sites in the South Downs. Funded by SITA Trust, and in partnership with the South Downs National Park Authority, the Forestry Commission and several landowners, we're managing scrub and woodland sites in Hampshire and West Sussex to give the butterfly a helping hand.

Events

South East Duke of Burgundy Workshop
Saturday 28th April 2012
Queen Elizabeth Country Park, Petersfield, Hampshire PO8 0QE

An all day event for volunteers to share experience and plan action for Duke of Burgundy conservation - includes talks and a site visit to a local colony.
Booking essential, contact Dan Hoare (see above) for details.