Project Species Reintroduction: Large Heath Butterfly

What is it?

Project Species Reintroduction: Large Heath Butterfly is a landscape-scale species recovery initiative focused on restoring populations of the threatened Large Heath butterfly across lowland mossland sites within the Cheshire and Warrington LNRS area.

The project builds upon Butterfly Conservation’s “Making Peatlands Work for Lepidoptera” initiative and successful reintroduction work delivered through the Manchester Mosses Project led by Lancashire Wildlife Trust.

The Large Heath butterfly has been lost from much of the landscape as peatland and moss habitats have become fragmented, degraded and dried out. The programme will combine peatland restoration, habitat assessment, species monitoring and targeted reintroduction activity to support the return of the species to suitable sites across Cheshire.

The initiative also includes wider ecological surveying, volunteer engagement and opportunities to support associated invertebrate species recovery.

Why is this needed? / Why are we doing this?

Lowland mosses and peatlands are among the UK’s most threatened habitats, yet they play a critical role in biodiversity, carbon storage and water regulation.

Historic drainage, fragmentation and habitat degradation have resulted in the loss of the Large Heath butterfly from much of the Cheshire landscape. Without intervention, opportunities for species recovery and peatland restoration may continue to decline.

This project has been developed to restore ecological resilience across mossland habitats while supporting species recovery, volunteer participation and long-term peatland conservation.

The programme also supports wider LNRS peatland restoration priorities and species reintroduction ambitions.

What is it going to deliver?

The project will deliver:

• Mapping and assessment of historical and existing mossland habitats
• Volunteer training and species monitoring programmes
• Habitat health assessment and ecological recording
• Site suitability assessment for Large Heath butterfly reintroduction
• Development of a costed species reintroduction proposal
• Potential harvesting of gravid females from donor sites subject to permissions
• Larval husbandry and translocation support with Chester Zoo
• Centralised ecological mapping and data collection
• Wider invertebrate surveying including Gnaphosa leporina spider surveys
• Long-term support for peatland and mossland restoration

The programme aims to establish self-sustaining Large Heath butterfly populations within suitable restored habitats across the LNRS area.