SBBT

Saving swallowtail and birdwing butterflies

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Male Macleay's Swallowtail showing the lovely crimson edge to the hindwing. Credit: Elaine McDonald, Hobart, Tasmania
SBBT » About Us

About Us

The mission of the Swallowtail and Birdwing Butterfly Trust is to conserve and protect members of the Papilionidae, a worldwide family of more than 580 species that include the largest, most spectacular and most endangered butterflies on the planet.

Our work is generally planned and executed in the context of wider butterfly faunas, their foodplants, and the ecosystems that they inhabit.

The Trust operates by raising funds, convening partnerships, catalysing action and providing technical and scientific support for conservation projects. We are establishing a network of experts, advisors and supporters to extend this work.

Major reference sources that guide the Trust’s work include “Threatened Swallowtail Butterflies of the World” and “Swallowtail Butterflies: An Action Plan for Their Conservation”, both published some years ago by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

These reports found that 61 of more than 580 species of papilionids worldwide are under threat, and many more are insufficiently known and in need of further study.

The Action Plan, prepared by the IUCN Species Survival Commission Lepidoptera Specialist Group and published in 1991, listed 34 potential projects and identified priorities for action. Due to lack of resources, it has been difficult to make concerted progress in the intervening years, but with the creation of the Swallowtail and Birdwing Butterfly Trust, we hope to initiate projects to address the research findings.

The Trust is currently working on the Kinabalu Birdwing in Sabah, supporting local work on Australia’s Richmond Birdwing and on the Homerus swallowtail in Jamaica, and we recently put survey teams into the field in Dominica and Fiji.

A national priority in the UK is the British Swallowtail, found only in the Norfolk Broads. Salinisation of the Broads due to sea level rise is threatening the few remaining habitats of this subspecies, and plans need to be laid to introduce new populations to safer sites protected from the ingress of salt water.

The Trust was registered as a not-for-profit charity in England on 9 May 2017.  It is run by a small group of volunteer Trustees and Advisors and has no staff or premises at the moment.

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    Sign up to hear from us and we’ll send you our free e-newsletter and keep you up to date with what’s happening at the Swallowtail & Birdwing Butterfly Trust, including news, campaigns and appeals. Don't worry, we take care of your data and never release it to third parties. See our Privacy Policy for details

    Latest News

    The Bhutan Glories: An update from Sonam Dorji

    29th May 2025

    Featured species: Papilio hornimani

    27th May 2025

    Thank you to outgoing chairman N. Mark Collins

    21st May 2025

    Focus on the False Apollo (Archon apollinus)

    7th May 2025

    African Giant Swallowtail (Papilio antimachus)

    21st March 2025

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    Our Mission

    The mission of the Swallowtail and Birdwing Butterfly Trust is to conserve and protect members of the Papilionidae, a worldwide family of more than 580 species that include the largest, most spectacular and most endangered butterflies on the planet.
     

    Aims

    SBBT aims to build the capacity of local people and organisations to achieve long-lasting conservation and sustainable change.

    Methods

    We achieve this in four ways: we raise financial resources; convene research networks and partnerships; catalyse action, and provide scientific and technical support to conservation projects.

    Wider Reach

    Our work is generally planned and executed in the context of wider butterfly faunas, their foodplants, and the ecosystems that they inhabit.

    Giving

    Financial contributions are welcome and will be treasured. We also need your ideas, new information, suggestions and encouragement!

    Donate Today

    What We Do

    We do four things to help swallowtails and birdwings: we raise financial resources; convene networks and partnerships; catalyse action, and provide scientific and technical support.

    Contact Us

    Send an email to info@sbbt.org.uk, or post a letter to SBBT, c/o Stephenson Smart, Queens Head House, The Street, Acle, Norwich NR13 3DY, UK

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    Papilio! Newsletter





      We want to keep you up to date!
      Sign up to hear from us and we’ll send you our free e-newsletter and keep you up to date with what’s happening at the Swallowtail & Birdwing Butterfly Trust, including news, campaigns and appeals. Don't worry, we take care of your data and never release it to third parties. See our Privacy Policy for details

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