Rarity,species richness and conservation: Butterflies of the Atlas Mountains in Morocco

A study was made of the butterflies associated with different biotopes in the Atlas mountains in Morocco. Geographically restricted species were found to be biotope specialists. These tend to be vulnerable species which warrant conservation measures, and are not necessarily the species which appear low in a rank species abundance curve. Butterfly species richness was correlated with plant species richness, and butterfly density with percentage ground cover of the vegetation. Many butterflies were restricted to particular seral stages. A comparison is made of the potential effectiveness of species versus ecosystem conservation in Morocco. As most species are poorly studied, probably the best conservation strategy for butterflies is to protect as wide a variety of biotopes as possible. Subsequently a species approach may be applied to species not encompassed by this policy.