Conservation of butterfly habitats and diversity in European Mediterranean countries

Abstract

The biological history of the past few million years has made the Mediterranean area one of the richest areas of Europe in terms of species diversity. Three-quarters of the total European insect fauna are found in the Mediterranean (Balletto and Casale, 1991). The structure of the three peninsulas surrounded by this sea, with mountains in the north isolating them, has resulted in a high level of endemic species and very rich butterfly communities.