Developing best practices in butterfly conservation in Central and Eastern Europe

Introduction

The Metamorphosis project focuses on the conservation of 15 butterfly species listed in Annexes II and IV of the EU Habitats Directive, namely:

• Colias myrmidone
• Callimorpha quadripunctaria
• Euphydryas aurinia
• Euphydryas maturna
• Eriogaster catax
• Lopinga achine
• Lycaena dispar
• Lycaena helle
• Phengaris (Maculinea) arion
• Phengaris (Maculinea) nausithous
• Phengaris (Maculinea) teleius
• Parnassius mnemosyne
• Parnassius apollo
• Pseudophylotes bavius
• Zerynthia polyxena

This initiative will take place in three Member States: Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania.

Habitat Restoration

The project will also target the restoration of habitat type 6210 Semi-natural dry grasslands and scrubland facies on calcareous substrates (Festuco-Brometalia). This habitat is important for many orchid sites in various Sites of Community Importance (SCIs) and is home to many target species of the project, including:

• Colias myrmidone
• Phengaris species
• Parnassius apollo

Additionally, it supports other important pollinators such as wild bees, wasps, hoverflies, bee-flies, and moths.

Special Focus Species

Colias myrmidone is a special focus of the project in central Romania, which is one of the last strongholds of this species. Its population is rapidly declining across central Europe.

Management Practices

The project carries out best practices in habitat management and concrete restoration activities directly targeting populations of these species. It aims to:

1. Bring nature back to agricultural land.
2. Improve high biodiversity features.
3. Contribute to halting pollinator decline.
4. Improve connectivity of the network of protected areas.

Farmers and other stakeholders will be included in decision processes, direct restoration, and management of habitats to ensure the sustainability of results.

Citizen Science and Knowledge Transfer

The project will promote citizen science in monitoring and a bottom-up approach to the designation of protected areas. It will focus on:

• Measuring and integrating the value of nature in project areas.
• Transferring knowledge (including for policymakers).
• Replicating results to other areas where these species occur.

Integration of Member States

The project will integrate Slovakia and Romania into the broader European context.