{"id":1677,"date":"2015-05-30T15:38:04","date_gmt":"2015-05-30T14:38:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/engagement-and-impact\/?p=1677"},"modified":"2025-04-22T14:14:22","modified_gmt":"2025-04-22T13:14:22","slug":"the-butterfly-effect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/engagement-and-impact\/the-butterfly-effect\/","title":{"rendered":"The butterfly effect"},"content":{"rendered":"

How studies in butterflies led to a paradigm shift in conservation<\/h2>\n

Research at the University of Reading has shaped a new approach in environmental policy-making, to create 21st century landscapes that are fit for wildlife.<\/p>\n

The butterfly effect<\/h3>\n

Biodiversity under threat<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The biodiversity of our natural environment has suffered a continual decline in recent decades. This is caused by factors such as habitat loss through intensive land-use, and climate change. As our population grows and the planet warms, conservation strategies must adapt to secure a biodiverse environment for future generations.<\/p>\n

The importance of habitat connectivity<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Dr Tom Oliver, Associate Professor of Landscape Ecology at the University of Reading, is influencing a new approach to conservation. Using butterflies as an indicator species, Tom\u2019s research has revealed how the range, arrangement and size of habitats within modern landscapes are vital for biodiversity. Small patches of habitat surrounded by hostile conditions \u2013 imagine an island of trees in the middle of intensively farmed arable fields \u2013 leave species vulnerable when conditions change,\u00a0for example during drought.<\/a><\/p>\n

He proposes that restoring the \u2018functional connectivity\u2019 of habitats will improve the resilience of butterflies and other populations in the face of threats such as extreme weather events. This means providing \u2018corridors\u2019 or stepping stones of meadows, woodland, flower-rich field margins or road verges, to connect larger areas of habitat to each other.<\/p>\n

Dr Oliver has also developed a suite of practical measures of habitat connectivity that may become a standard monitoring method for the\u00a0Joint Nature Conservation Committee<\/a>,\u00a0which advises the UK government and Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish Assemblies.<\/p>\n

A paradigm shift<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Through his research insights, Dr Oliver has helped to bring about a paradigm shift in conservation thinking – towards landscape-scale approaches. Dr Richard Bradbury, Head of Environment at the RSPB, explains: \u201cTom\u2019s work has made an important contribution to shaping environmental and conservation policy and practice in the UK. It has underpinned the drive to move beyond just protected areas and consider whole-landscape conservation, which is of great international importance.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is illustrated in\u00a0UK Government\u2019s 25 Year Environment Plan<\/a>, published in 2018. It quotes\u00a0a seminal work by Sir John Lawton<\/a>\u00a0that drew from Dr Oliver\u2019s research in calling for \u2018more habitat; in better condition; in bigger patches that are more closely connected.\u2019<\/p>\n

Evidence for protection<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Thanks to experts like Dr Oliver, action is being taken to improve and protect biodiversity in the UK. For example, twelve Government-backed\u00a0Nature Improvement Areas<\/a>\u00a0have already been established. These include a project to reinstate open moorland habitat and oak woodland in the Peak District, the restoration of linked habitats across more than 1,000 hectares of wooded valleys and water courses in North Devon and the protection of Britain\u2019s third largest lowland raised bog in the meres and mosses of Shropshire and the Welsh Marches<\/p>\n

Further information<\/h3>\n

Dr Oliver research continues to generate compelling ecological evidence that informs and influences environmental policy-making nationally and internationally.<\/p>\n

Dr Oliver\u2019s Staff Profile<\/a>. Twitter @Tom_H_Oliver<\/a><\/p>\n

Major funders: Natural England, NERC<\/p>\n

References and further reading<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Oliver, T., Roy, D.B., Hill, J.K., Brereton, T. & Thomas, C.D. (2010). Heterogeneous landscapes promote population stability.\u00a0Ecology Letters<\/em>, 13, 473-484.\u00a0doi: 10.1111\/j.1461-0248.2010.01441.x.<\/p>\n

Oliver, T. H., Marshall, H. H., Morecroft, M. D., Brereton, T., Prudhomme, C. and Huntingford, C. (2015)\u00a0Interacting effects of climate change and habitat fragmentation on drought-sensitive butterflie<\/a>s. Nature Climate Change, 5 (10). pp. 941-945. ISSN 1758-678X doi: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/nclimate2746<\/p>\n

Oliver, T., Powney, G. D., Baguette, M. and Schtickzelle, N. (2017)\u00a0Synchrony in population counts predicts butterfly movement frequencies<\/a>. Ecological Entomology, 42 (3). pp. 375-378. ISSN 0307-6946 doi: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/een.12391<\/p>\n

Sir John Lawton (2010)\u00a0Making Space for Nature<\/a>. DEFRA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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