Whether for the Horrid Ground-weaver Spider (Nothophantes horridus), found nowhere else on earth except a handful Plymouth quarries, a Scottish river with a centuries old population of Freshwater Pearl Mussels (Margaritifera margaritifera), or grasslands that support thriving butterfly communities, Buglife has been busily mapping a network of Important Invertebrate Areas (IIAs) for Britain.
Each of the 100+ IIAs is home to nationally or internationally important invertebrate populations, capturing habitats from the shoreline, along rivers and to the uplands. Ranging from tiny Lundy Island in the Bristol Channel to some of our most loved landscapes, such as the Cairngorms, Norfolk Coast and Gower Peninsula. This is an ambitious task, but one that is starting to bear fruit, with maps now being used by key decision makers and people who can make a difference for invertebrates.
This week an important milestone has been reached in our efforts to put bugs on the map, with the publication of the 50th IIA profile document. Knowing how to support the recovery of species can be challenging as there are simply so many. Thousands of species, each with their own unique needs- making it difficult for decision makers to make the choices that will help them to thrive. These profile documents do just that, taking complex technical information and distilling it into easily understandable resources.
Thanks to the efforts of Buglife’s IIA Officer Lucia Chmurova, GIS & Data Officer Tom Thomson and Peatland Conservation Officer Melissa Shaw, we now have profiles available for more IIAs. Each profile delves into the landscape’s important features and habitats that their invertebrate inhabitants depend on. Clearly laying out the key species and assemblages, and crucially the threats that they face and the opportunities to restore them. It is what is needed to help make sure that the needs of bugs are recognised by everyone – ecologists, planners, local authorities, statutory bodies, conservation organisations, land managers or other decision makers – and to help us restore their vital populations.
So, reaching the milestone of 50 IIA profiles is a great cause for celebration for this ambitious project. Why not explore our IIA webmap to see what IIAs are near you? Keep an eye out as our network of fine-scale mapped IIAs and profiles grows in the next few years.