General information

The fifth international symposium on Future of Butterflies in Europe will be held online, on 8 and 9 April 2021.

Butterflies and moths are declining seriously in most countries across Europe, and action is needed urgently at all levels, from local to European, in order to secure their survival. As charismatic species, indicators of biodiversity and providers of ecosystem functions and services, the conservation of butterflies and moths cover a broad spectrum of the conservation agenda.

With an ever-growing community of scientists and practitioners in the field of Lepidoptera conservation, we feel that this symposium will offer a perfect occasion to meet again and set new priorities in providing a future for butterflies and moths in Europe! We expect to cover a range of emerging topics to advance Lepidoptera conservation and we welcome your contribution!

Our first symposium was held in 1989, marking the start of a period of fruitful research, new insights on butterfly ecology and distribution, and the rise of a broad awareness of butterflies as indicators and tools in nature conservation.

The second congress, in 2008, witnessed the emergence of butterfly conservation in a European perspective, with butterflies as one of the leading groups of species targeted in conservation as well as in EU policy - and with increasing attention for the role of moths. 

The third congress, in 2012, brought together a full-grown community of scientists, conservation practitioners and volunteers working on a broad range of Lepidoptera. The meeting highlighted growing insights on the impacts of climate change, land use and nitrogen deposition, as well as the novel issue of influences of artificial light on moths. 

Future 4 Butterflies in Europe, the fourth symposium, was held in 2016 and brought together more than 150 participants from 27 nations. It highlighted the increasing knowledge on moth ecology and the expansion of butterfly monitoring across Europe, with 22 regional and national schemes, as well as the application of these data to provide biodiversity indicators for the impacts of environmental change.