Study

Effects of coppicing on butterfly communities of woodlands

  • Published source details Fartmann T., Müller C. & Poniatowski D. (2013) Effects of coppicing on butterfly communities of woodlands. Biological Conservation, 159, 396-404.

Actions

This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

Action Category

Coppice woodland

Action Link
Butterfly and Moth Conservation
  1. Coppice woodland

    A replicated, site comparison study in 2010 in five woodlands in the Alsacian Hardt, France (Fartmann et al. 2013) found that recently coppiced woodland had a higher abundance and species richness of butterflies than older coppiced woodland, and that coppiced woodland of different ages had distinct groups of species. Two years after coppicing, woodland had a higher abundance and species richness of resident (abundance: 6 individuals/100 m2; richness: 11 species/plot) and threatened (abundance: 1.8 individuals/100 m2; richness: 4 species/plot) butterflies than woodland which had not been coppiced for >15 years (resident: 1 individual/100 m2; 4 species/plot; threatened: 0.2 individuals/100 m2; 1 species/plot). Coppiced woodland had a higher abundance of migratory butterflies one (1.2 individuals/100 m2) and two years (1.1 individuals/100 m2) after coppicing than >15 years after coppicing (0.2 individuals/100 m2). However, all five ages of coppiced plots held distinct groups of species (data presented as model results). Across five woodlands (140–1,303 ha), 37 coppiced plots (1–3 ha, 31–41-year coppice cycle) in one of five stages (first year, second year, 3–7 years, 8–15 years and >15 years after coppicing) were surveyed. From May–August 2010, butterflies were surveyed seven times in a 20 × 25 m area in the centre of each plot.

    (Summarised by: Andrew Bladon)

Output references
What Works 2021 cover

What Works in Conservation

What Works in Conservation provides expert assessments of the effectiveness of actions, based on summarised evidence, in synopses. Subjects covered so far include amphibians, birds, mammals, forests, peatland and control of freshwater invasive species. More are in progress.

More about What Works in Conservation

Download free PDF or purchase
The Conservation Evidence Journal

The Conservation Evidence Journal

An online, free to publish in, open-access journal publishing results from research and projects that test the effectiveness of conservation actions.

Read the latest volume: Volume 21

Go to the CE Journal

Discover more on our blog

Our blog contains the latest news and updates from the Conservation Evidence team, the Conservation Evidence Journal, and our global partners in evidence-based conservation.


Who uses Conservation Evidence?

Meet some of the evidence champions

Endangered Landscape ProgrammeRed List Champion - Arc Kent Wildlife Trust The Rufford Foundation Save the Frogs - Ghana Mauritian Wildlife Supporting Conservation Leaders
Sustainability Dashboard National Biodiversity Network Frog Life The international journey of Conservation - Oryx Cool Farm Alliance UNEP AWFA Bat Conservation InternationalPeople trust for endangered species Vincet Wildlife Trust