European Red List of butterflies

The European Red List is a review of the conservation status of c.6,000 European species (mammals, reptiles, amphibians, freshwater fishes, butterflies, dragonflies, and selected groups of beetles, molluscs, and vascular plants) according to IUCN regional Red Listing guidelines. It identifies those species that are threatened with extinction at the regional level – in order that appropriate conservation action can be taken to improve their status. This comprehensive assessment of all European butterflies provides an overview of the conservation status of this important insect group. This study shows us that nearly 9% of butterflies are Threatened and a further 10% are Near Threatened.