Monitoring and conservation of the migratory butterfly Vanessa cardui, a species that

seasonally migrate from/to the sub-Sahara and Europe. The main aims of the project are:

1) Understanding the spatiotemporal dynamics of the species across its Palearctic-African migratory route.

2) Conserving through managing African winter breeding sites (the species

displays extreme fluctuations in population size in the Mediterranean, which seem to be related to environmental (in part climatic) conditions in African wintering sites.

3) Disseminating to the society the spectacular phenomenon of the longest butterfly migration known, which will enhance awareness on insect diversity, ecology and the importance of conservation of non-vertebrate organisms.