Congratulations,
We now have FULL charitable status, our registered charity Number is: 1209496
Butterflies Forever
A charity dedicated to saving butterflies
We aim to raise £300,000 and lease ten acres of suitable agricultural land and build a butterfly habitat on the South Downs in Sussex, Southern England.
This land will provide a natural and permanent habitat where butterflies, moths and tens of thousands of insects will find protection for the next 50 years and more.
The results from the annual United Kingdom Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (UKBMS) released in March 2022, shows that after three good years, 2021 was a below average year for butterflies, and the worst since 2017 – please have a look at the UKBMS report.
It’s a fact that butterflies are still on the decline today.
Countryside wild meadows have reduced by 98% since the 1950s.
Are British butterflies on the brink of extinction? Sadly, yes.
Deterioration of British butterflies has reduced by 80% over the past 40 years. Countryside wild meadows have reduced by 98% over the past 70 years. What will the next 10/15 years bring? Potentially the complete extinction of butterflies in the wild.
Many thousands of acres of land across the UK that were once lovely flowered front gardens have now disappeared. They have become concrete car parks!
It’s possible that your grandchildren may never see butterflies flying in the wild.
Sir David Attenborough has emphasised very clearly that we need to act NOW – today, before thousands of butterflies and insects become extinct throughout the United Kingdom.
Monarch butterfly
What can we do to help save British butterflies?
Mother Nature needs our help now.
Raising £300,000 to build, secure and maintain the ten-acre habitat to provide protection for butterflies, moths and tens of thousands of insects is a good start.
The habitat will be divided into twenty individual plots, each at 1,750 square metres. The twenty plots have been planned and designed specifically for twenty different butterfly species.
The plots are available for sponsorship, at £5,000 per plot for five years. If your pledge is acceptable, payment in full will be required when the development of your plot begins.
You may wish to make a larger contribution to the project, this would of course be very generous of you. You may also wish to get involved, where we would welcome you to join us, and take part in this venture together.
Making the habitat work.
A nine foot wired fence will be erected around the habitat, extending two feet underground and seven feet above ground, with small bushes planted against the fencing.
Specific wild seeds, flowers, shrubs, grasses, bushes and hedges will be planted to attract individual species of butterflies and their friends.
Deterrents will be put in place to discourage the wild animals and birds which are natural predators to butterflies. The deterrents will not harm the predators in any way.
We will be looking for volunteers to help us with the project.
Do you have an interest in butterflies and nature? Or a knowledge of gardening and looking after the welfare of wild plants, grasses and shrubs? We’d love to hear from you!
However . . .
if you have experience in fundraising and you wish to support our project,
please get in touch with Robert Harding at
contact@butterflies-forever.org.uk
White Admiral butterfly