A survey of the development and practice of butterfly conservation in south east Australia, tracing evolution of the science through a series of cases from focus on single subspecies through increasing levels of ecological complexity to critical biotopes and communities. The book summarises much previously scattered information, and provides access to much regional information of considerable interest to practitioners elsewhere. This survey of the development of butterfly conservation in an important, largely endemic and highly threatened regional fauna of Australia demonstrates how lessons from elsewhere have been applied and developed in a relatively poorly known fauna, in which conservation targets range from single subspecies to entire biotopes and communities. Principles and practical programmes are discussed, and much hitherto scattered information is brought together in a synthesis that will be of considerable interest to ecologists, conservation biologists, and butterfly conservation practitioners in other parts of the world.

From the reviews:

"Essential reading for anyone undertaking conservation science. The insights and advice are built on a lifetime of theoretical and practical experience by one of the world's leading professional arthropod conservationists, well known for his publications ? . In reading this book, you are left in no doubt that you are being taught by a master of the immensely difficult practice of conservation, in degrees of difficulty an arena well beyond the comparatively simple task of carrying out field research for publishing papers." (Roger L. H. Dennis, Journal of Insect Conservation, Vol. 15, 2011)