Current Status¹

Regional distribution in the South West¹

Priority Areas and natural areas in the South West¹

• Mid Cornwall and Bodmin Moors
• North West Devon Cilm Grasslands
• Dartmoor Rhos Pasture
• Blackdown Hills
• Blackmore vale
• Exmoor ESA
• Salisbury Plain
  

Basic Management requirements¹

Relevant Ecology

Marsh Fritillaries breed in two distinct habitats, damp neutral or acidic grasslands and dry calcareous grasslands. It's main larval host plant is devil's bit scabious Succisa pratensis. Most colonies occupy very small patches of habitat (typically less than 2 ha). The most natural pattern of existence is in 'metapopulations'. To survive, metapopulations need a network of nearby habitat patches (within 5 -10 km) within which periodic extinction and recolonisation occurs i.e. maintain large areas of land with networks of colonies and potentially suitable (but sometimes unoccupied) habitat between.

Basic management requirements of the Marsh Fritillary:

Common Habitat Type

Unimproved, grazed grassland with abundant devil's bit scabious.

Stock Type

Traditional breeds of cattle and horses which cope best with coarse vegetation and are less selective. Sheep are usually unsuitable because they graze off the food plant and overwintering habitat.

Grazing Intensity

Generally long periods of light grazing are better than short periods of heavy grazing. The ideal sward is 10 - 15 cm high on damp grass and 5 - 15 cm on calcareous grassland. The maximum grazing level tolerated is weeks/ha/year. Most sites, particularly the less productive grasslands such as the Culm grasslands of Devon & Cornwall, would be maintained in suitable conditions at much lower grazing levels. However, more flexible grazing conditions are apparently tolerated on Dartmoor.

Time of Grazing

Summer grazing may keep coarse vegetation in check and is probably the best time on very wet sites.

Scrub Control.

Scrub invasion under low grazing levels will require periodic control but some scattered scrub will provide needed shelter as do woodlands or hedgerows.

Cutting

Generally unsuitable because it can remove a high proportion of the population and leaves the vegetation in a temporarily unsuitable condition.

Burning

Periodic burning may help maintain and restore suitable habitat on some sites but should only be carried out on sites where it is traditional and in some rotation. Breeding areas should be identified and avoided.

Releases

Releases should only be part of a regional recovery strategy and there are no such releases proposed for the South West. Clandestine releases and support breeding should be avoided and deterred at all costs.

Current Factors affecting the species¹

• Destruction of habitat due to agricultural improvement and development pressures.
• Inappropriate grassland management i.e. changes in grazing stock and practice leading to scrub.
• invasion and secondary woodland.
• Increased fragmentation and isolation of habitats.

UK Biodiversity Objectives and proposed targets¹

• Halt the decline and maintain the present range
• Maintain at least five large populations within each key area
  
  Because the South West holds a significant proportion of the UK population there are several opportunities to deliver the UK objectives and targets in this region.

OBJECTIVE 1

Ensure the survival of marsh fritillary colonies in the South West

TARGET: ongoing

OBJECTIVE 2

Maintain all large populations at or above present level and ensure sites with smaller populations are managed to increase the carrying capacity of each site.

TARGET: ongoing

OBJECTIVE 3

Establish and/or maintain extensive networks of suitable marsh fritillary habitat around or near occupied sites with large populations.

TARGET: by 2005

OBJECTIVE 4

Ensure the nature conservation value of these sites is enhanced for other species

TARGET: ongoing

Current Action ¹

National: A full species action plan was prepared by Butterfly Conservation in 1995. This was consistent with the UK action plan in the steering Group Report. Butterfly Conservation has, carried out research into the status and habitat requirements in recent years, with funding from EN's Species Recovery Programme. The species is being considered for full protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. SACs have been proposed in the counties of Devon, Dorset and Wiltshire.

Regional: Action plans for this species are being developed as part of local BAPs in the counties of Cornwall, Devon and Wiltshire. Efforts to secure and protect colonies on the ground are being achieved by the county Wildlife Trusts and the local Butterfly Conservation groups via reserve surveys and management.

Many sites have, in recent years, been brought into agri-environment land management schemes such as Countryside Stewardship, WES and ESAs Dartmoor National Park are monitoring existing colonies on management agreement areas, are setting up management agreements on other sites, and carrying out new survey work on sites in conjunction with Local Butterfly Conservation Groups.

A habitat restoration trial area has been set up in Dorset for the largest metapopulation there are several opportunities to deliver the UK objectives and targets in this region.

Proposed Action ¹

LEAD: EN

Identify South West priority areas for targeting conservation effort those in this plan (by 2005)

LEAD: EN,
PARTNERS: BC, WTs

Advisory

Ensure information on the distribution of the marsh fritillary and its habitat management requirements are available to all those involved in its conservation and recovery an in the region

LEAD: EN, BC
PARTNERS: WTs

Study the effects of habitat management on marsh fritillary and other species associated with the same habitat (by 2000)

LEAD: EN
PARTNERS: BC, WTs