The Action Plan for Dorset, Wiltshire and Hampshire was finally published last August in time for a workshop on Action Plans held over a weekend at King Alfred’s College, Winchester. It was compiled by Andy Barker (Hants) with material presented by Bill Shreeves for Dorset and by Mike Fuller for Wiltshire. The plan is part of a whole strategy developed by Butterfly Conservation to make it possible for us to play a major role in the Government’s plans for biodiversity, which gathered momentum after the Rio convention back in 1992. The whole package, including 25 species action plans* for the most endangered butterflies, actions for 119 high and medium priority moths and detailed regional plans for all the main areas of Britain, was officially launched this year at the House of Commons by Michael Meacher, Minister for the Environments and our President, Sir David Attenborough.

Our South Central Region Action Plan* is divided into four main parts:

l. A list of 15 High priority Butterflies, 12 of which occur in Dorset; 6 medium priority Butterflies, all of which can be found in Dorset; 37 high priority Moths,23 in Dorset and 96 medium priority Moths, 71 in Dorset. An appendix contains a provisional list of micro moths. The lists have been carefully drawn up to include species which are rare in Dorset, Wilts and Hants, or which are declining rapidly, or which have their strongholds in our three counties. So, for example, species like Lulworth Skipper (100% of GB’s colonies) Adonis Blue (57%) and Silver Studded Blue (29%) have been promoted to High Priority; the Chalkhill Blue (41%) has been promoted to Medium Priority (Table 1).

2. All the high & medium priority Butterflies & the High Priority Moths have detailed Action Plans to be carried out over the next decade. These actions include improving surveying , monitoring and habitat management and preparing strategies for linking isolated colonies via Countryside Stewardship type schemes.

3. The key areas of the three counties where concentrations of the priority species can be found are mapped and described. (See Table 2)

4. Branch plans in other spheres for the future are described and it is agreed that representatives from Dorset, Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Wiltshire will meet annually to report on progress and make a comprehensive review of the plan every 5 years.

With 107 actions listed in the plan for butterflies alone our main problem in Dorset is how to make progress in implementing the strategies. It has been decided, given the likely rising costs of petrol and increasing road congestion, which as conservationists we must pay careful attention to, that the most effective method is to set up a system of local co-ordinators for the main natural regions in Dorset. A map of the areas and a list of the co-ordinators can be seen in Table 3. The co-ordinators will meet each year to plan timed surveys of listed key sites not already covered by our extensive system of full-scale butterfly walks. The data collected in this way, together with that from our walks and our continuing km square map survey, will cover about 40% of the targets in the Action Plan and provide an excellent springboard for achieving the rest. The remaining actions involve improving management on existing key sites and finding ways to enable species to break out of the tiny ghettoes in which they are increasingly being confined. The means for achieving this are already at hand with Environmentally sensitive area, countryside stewardship, woodland improvement and heathland reclamation schemes. With the help of our special advisors and liaison contacts with other conservation bodies we hope to play a useful role in the process of reclaiming habitat for wildlife and enabling isolated colonies to expand and make contact with others.

Of course all of this can only be achieved if the Branch can have plenty of active support from its members. The co-ordinators will need to be able to build up teams of local helpers. We should be very grateful, (if you have not already done so) if you could find time to do just one walk to help us. Table 3 gives you details of organisers in your area, who will be happy to discuss the sites that you may like to visit. It is of course vital that we continue our existing recording schemes via home base, casual and garden recording, and our transect walks, but at the same time begin more systematic site surveys for the high and medium priority species. We would also like to try and increase the range of our moth recording by asking members to invite moth trappers into their gardens at regular intervals. We are convinced that we have reached an important cross-roads. One big push now and we may be able, not only to halt further habitat destruction, but also begin restoring ‘lost’ areas as at least corridors between key sites.

* Copies of the Species Action Plans and the Regional Action Plans can be downloaded from the Butterfly Conservation Website.

SOUTH CENTRAL

REGION PRIORITY BUTTERFLY LIST

The list of species below has been developed from Butterfly Conservation’s national priority list using the four criteria listed in Section 1.4.

High Priority Butterflies (n = 15) DORSET = 12

Silver-spotted Skipper (Hesperia comma) D

Lulworth Skipper (Thymelicus acteon) D

Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus malvae) D

Wood White (Leptidea sinapis) D

Brown Hairstreak (Thecla betulae) D

Small Blue (Cupido minimus) D

Silver-studded Blue (Plebejus argus) D

Adonis Blue (Lysandra bellargus) D

Duke of Burgundy (Hamearis lucina) D

Purple Emperor (Apatura iris) D?

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (Boloria selene)D D

Pearl-bordered Fritillary (Boloria euphrosyne) D

High Brown Fritillary (Argynnis adippe)

Marsh Fritillary (Eurodryas aurinia) D

Glanville Fritillary (Melitaea cinxia)

Medium Priority Butterflies (n = 6) DORSET = 6

Dingy Skipper (Erynnis tages) D

White-letter Hairstreak (Satyrium W-album) D

Chalkhill Blue cjLysandra coridon) D

White Admiral (Ladoga camilla) D

Wall (Lasionimata megera) D

Grayling (Hipparchia semele) D

Key Areas

DORSET

Natural Area: Dorset Downs & Cranborne Chase (134)

1-2. Northern Chalk

(1) North Dorset Downs

(2) Hambledon & Hod Hills

3. Cranborne Chase Woods

4. Shaftesbury Estate Woods

5. Edmondsham Estate & neighbouring woods

6. Gussage Down, Ackling Dyke & Sovell Down

7. Blandford Camp

8. Badbury Rings

9-14. Central Chalk

(9) Bulbarrow

(10) Lyscombe & Highdon & Hog Hill

(12) Cerne Abbas Downs

(13) Batcombe Hill

(14) Sydling Valley, Hogcliffe & Grimstone Downs

15-17 West Chalk

(15) South-East Dorset Downs

(16) Maiden Castle

(17) South- West Dorset Downs

Natural Area: Dorset Heaths (135)

18. Heaths north of River Stour

19. Holt Forest

20. Avon and Mude valleys

21. Heaths between R.Stour & R. Frome

22. Oaker’s Wood

23. Heaths south of River Frome

24. Purbeck Heathlands

Natural Area: South Purbeck (136)

25. Purbeck Ridge (Lulworth Cove to Ballard Down

26. Purbeck Coast (White Nothe to Peverill Point

Natural Area: Blackmoor Vale (133)

28-29 South Blackmoor Vale

(28) Lydlinch, Rooksmoor, Deadmoor

(29) Longburton Common & Rywater Farm

30. Duncliffe & Fifehead Woods

31. Piddleswood & Girdler’s Coppice

Natural Area: Marshwood & Powerstock Vales (139)

32. Powerstock, Kingcornbe & Hooke Park

33. Melbury Park

34. Brackett’s Coppice

35. West Dorset Coast

Natural Area: Isle of Portland (137)

36. Portland Coast & Quarries

REGIONAL ORGANISERS: