The alarming decline of many beautiful butterflies after the last war led a small group of dedicated naturalists, headed by Sir Peter Scott, to form Butterfly Conservation in 1968 as the British Butterfly Conservation Society.

The aim of the new Society was to try to halt the decline of these lovely insects and at the same time help safeguard the environment itself. Specifically they aimed to conserve both butterflies and moths, as well as the habitats on which they depend.

Since that time Butterfly Conservation has grown steadily to become the largest insect conservation organisation in Europe and possibly even the world. We now have over 30 regional branches covering the whole of the UK which carry out the vital local conservation tasks. The branches are backed by a central organisation responsible for co-ordination, fund-raising, research and national policy matters. We have offices in England, Scotland and Wales from which staff operate to help stimulate and guide local and national action.

We have achieved a lot in a short space of time, but there is still much left to do as the pressures on our countryside are as great as ever, and we have inherited a long legacy of destruction that will take many decades to remedy.

Butterfly Conservation`s purpose is to secure a lasting future for all native butterflies, moths and their habitats within the UK.

Our ultimate goal is to help restore a balanced countryside with butterflies and other wildlife restored to the profusion that they, and we, once enjoyed.

Our specific objectives are to:

* Halt the decline of UK butterflies and moths, and improve the status of all threatened species.

* Improve the extent and suitability of key habitats for butterflies and moths [such as broad-leaved woodland, chalk and limestone grassland], and also the quality of the countryside as a whole.

* Place our conservation actions and priorities in a European and world context and disseminate our conservation knowledge internationally.

* Encourage public involvement in conservation, for example by creating butterfly-friendly habitats in parks and gardens, and participation in local and national projects.

* Collaborate with other voluntary and statutory groups to achieve our goals.

* Create opportunities for Butterfly Conservation volunteers to organise and participate in national, and local conservation programmes, including reserve management.