insects Review Butterfly Conservation in China: From Science to Action 1,2, 3, 4 4 Wen-Ling Wang y, Daniel O. Suman y , Hui-Hong Zhang , Zhen-Bang Xu , 5 1,2, , Fang-Zhou Ma and Shao-Ji Hu * y 1 Yunnan Key Laboratory of International Rivers and Transboundary Eco-Security, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China;
[email protected] 2 Institute of International Rivers and Eco-Security, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China 3 Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33149, USA;
[email protected] 4 School of Agriculture, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China;
[email protected] (H.-H.Z.);
[email protected] (Z.-B.X.) 5 Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the P.R.C., Nanjing 210042, China;
[email protected] * Correspondence:
[email protected] These authors contributed equally. y Received: 23 August 2020; Accepted: 22 September 2020; Published: 25 September 2020 Simple Summary: Butterflies provide numerous ecological and socio-economic services and are important indicator species. China is home to over 2000 species of butterflies and in recent years has elevated biodiversity conservation on the national agenda. This manuscript reviews China’s butterfly conservation efforts and its legal and policy frameworks. We note some of the current limitations in butterfly conservation (inappropriate listing of protected species; over-reliance on inventories, rather than holistic research) and offer numerous recommendations to improve conservation efforts. Our recommendations include those related to integration of scientific data into policy (designation of scientifically-based protected areas; development of appropriate criteria for classifying protected species; use of umbrella species for conservation purposes), adoption of butterfly-friendly land use policies in rural and urban areas, butterfly ranching and farming, use of citizen science to improve data collection, and enhanced public outreach and environmental education campaigns.