Approcci ad hoc per la riqualificazione di habitat e la conservazione delle farfalle del genere Maculinea

The most specialized social parasites among Lycaenidae belong to Maculinea genus, where all species occur specific habitats, since they are monophagous and have an obligatory relationship with Myrmica ants. Maculinea butterflies are typical representatives of endangered European biodiversity, all the species are listed by the IUCN as threatened and their conservation is requested by the Habitats Directive. This study is focused on three ad hoc approaches to habitat restoration for three Maculinea species populations. One population of Maculinea teleius, one of Maculinea nausithous, both in The Netherlands, and one of Maculinea arion at the Parco Fluviale Gesso Stura, in Italy. The three projects are: ¿ Maculinea teleius in Moerputten Natural Reserve: the project, conducted between July-September 2015, fits inside the LIFE+ Project ¿Blues in the marshes¿ and is focused on Maculinea teleius habitat restoration, testing the efficacy of sods transplantation restoration method. The study analyses also how the vegetation composition and structure could enhance the spreading of the host ant Myrmica scabrinodis. ¿ Maculinea nausithous restoration project in Linburg: the project, conducted between August-September 2016, is focused on testing the efficacy of soil translocation, water management and spreading of the host plant Sanguisorba officinalis seeds to enlarge the suitable habitat for the butterfly. Furthermore, the study analyses the Myrmica scabrinodis colonization ability and probability within the restored area. ¿ Maculinea arion in the Sant'Anselmo site, Piedmont: the project, conducted from September 2015 to October 2016, analyses the density and distribution of both host ant species and food plant species to detect the habitat quality of the site. The aim of the project was to design a restoration plan for the area and then to test the success of the restoration actions one year later. To detect the most successful practices for Maculinea butterflies' habitat restoration, this research compares the different methodologies designed to every specific site, as sods translocation, hay translocation, soil and vegetation removal, spreading of host plant seeds, creation of artificial streams and clear-cut. These three studies highlight the importance of a synergistic approach to habitat restoration involving all the different stakeholders in a bottom-up process.