Over 43 species of British butterfly are currently classed as threatened or endangered! (2016)

In 1981 the UK Wildlife and Countryside Act gave the Heath Fritillary, Large Blue and Swallowtail full protection by law. In 1988, the Marsh Fritillary and Large Copper were added to the list. In 1992, due to significant declines across England and Wales, the High Brown Fritillary was also added to the protected species list.

These laws enforce that it is a criminal offence to disturb in any way or collect these species (as eggs, caterpillars, chrysalis or adults... this includes netting adults to aid identification in the field even if they are released unharmed). These species are also protected by prohibition of sale (see below). Unfortunately, these laws do not apply to 'captive bred' livestock or extend to other species identified as threatened in more recent years.

Our aim is to draw attention to Britain's butterfly problem and ask relevant members of parliament to re-evaluate the current butterfly protection laws in order to promote the growth and safety of Britain's butterfly population.