CEMEX helps to save the Small Blue in Warwickshire

From the brink of disaster an important partnership between CEMEX and Butterfly Conservation continues to help rare butterflies thrive in Warwickshire.

In 2008 the Small Blue Butterfly was heading for a regional extinction being confined to just three sites near Southam - all under serious threats. This ambitious partnership aimed to both save existing colonies and secure the long term future of the butterfly by restoring and creating habitat for many more colonies.

The catalyst for the species recovery was CEMEX Southam quarry, where a butterfly colony still existed on an old spoil heap. The Environment Agency had asked for this spoil heap to be capped and after careful negotiation this capping was staggered and carried out over 3 years.

This resulted in a very large colony of Small Blue which had the capacity to colonise other nearby areas. Recent results have shown that the butterfly has now successfully colonised nine habitat patches throughout the area thanks to CEMEX's habitat restoration at Southam Quarry.

Thanks to work in other areas a further nine habitat patches have now also been colonised..