A team led by Tom Oliver of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology collected information on the topography and diversity of habitats in 166 sites across the UK using UK Land Cover Map data, which is derived from satellite images. They then compared the stability of populations of 35 British butterfly species over an 11-year period with the habitat diversity for each site.

They found that the greater the number of habitat types, the more stable the populations. The diversity of topographic aspects (for example, north-, east-, west- and south-facing slopes) also had a significant effect on population stability.

‘Our findings show that more diverse landscapes may provide a greater range of resources and microclimates, which can buffer insect populations from declines in difficult years,’ said co-author Jane Hill of the University of York.

The researchers suggest that the results could be used in future to ‘design’ landscapes that are more effective at conserving species.

April 2010