MACulinea Butterflies of the Habitats Directive and European Red List as Indicators and Tools for Habitat Conservation and MANagement

 

Coordination:
Elisabeth Kuehn (elisabeth.kuehn@ufz.de)
Josef Settele (josef.settele@ufz.de)

 

Duration of funding: 1 February 2002 to 31 January 2006

 

Maculinea butterflies are typical representatives of endangered European biodiversity. All species are listed by the IUCN as globally threatened, and for all species Europe is an important part of their distributions and thus the special responsibility of Europe.

 

The project has four main objectives:

1. to increase knowledge in inter- and intra-specific variation in the functional ecology of Maculinea systems across Europe
2. to assess the suitability of Maculinea butterflies as indicators of biodiversity along a European transect;
3. to develop standards for monitoring Maculinea butterflies as indicators and tools for grasslands and their management
4. to promulgate and exploit these monitoring standards.