From the reviews: "Essential reading for anyone undertaking conservation science. The insights and advice are built on a lifetime of theoretical and practical experience by one of the world's leading professional arthropod conservationists, well known for his publications ... . In reading this book, you are left in no doubt that you are being taught by a master of the immensely difficult practice of conservation, in degrees of difficulty an arena well beyond the comparatively simple task of carrying out field research for publishing papers." (Roger L. H. Dennis, Journal of Insect Conservation, Vol. 15, 2011)

• Preface.- Acknowledgements.- Part 1. Setting the scene: south-eastern Australia’s butterflies and their conservation.- Chapter 1 Australia’s butterflies: some background.- 1.1 Introduction.- 1.2 Diversity.- 1.3 Biogeography.- 1.4 Collecting and recording.- 1.5 Distribution and conservation status.- Chapter 2 Environments for butterflies in south eastern Australia.- 2.1 Introduction.- 2.2 Environmental change.- 2.3 Threats and butterfly declines.- 2.4 Urbanisation.- Chapter 3 Butterflies in Australian conservation legislation.- 3.1 Introduction: History, development and reception.- 3.2 The Butterfly Action Plan.- 3.3 Consequences of recognition for conservation need.- Part 2. Cases: subspecies to communities.- Chapter 4 A wetland skipper on sedges: Hesperilla flavescens.- 4.1 Introduction.- 4.2 Hesperilla flavescens flavia.- 4.3 Hesperilla flavescens flavescens.- Chapter 5. The Australian hairstreak, Pseudalmenus chlorinda.- 5.1 Introduction.- 5.2 Biology and conservation.- 5.3 Discussion.- Chapter 6 Tales of two coppers, Paralucia spp..- 6.1 Introduction.- 6.2 The Eltham copper, Paralucia pyrodiscus lucida.- 6.2.1 Biology.- 6.2.2 Conservation.- 6.2.2.1 Larval counts.- 6.2.2.2 Adult counts.- 6.2.2.3 Threats.- 6.3 The Bathurst copper, Paralucia spinifera.- 6.3.1 Biology.- 6.3.2 Conservation.- 6.4 Discussion.- Chapter 7. Unity in richness: Azure blues (Ogyris spp.) in patchy environments.- 7.1 Introduction.- 7.2 Biology and conservation.- Chapter 8. Butterflies in a disappearing ecosystem: alpine Satyrinae.- 8.1 Introduction.- 8.2 Alpine butterflies.- 8.2.1 Oreixenica ptunarrra.- 8.2.2 Oreixenica latialis theddora.- Chapter 9 ‘Butterfly community No 1’.- 9.1 Introduction.- 9.2 Mount Piper.- 9.3 Communities in legislation and practice.- Part 3. Lessons learned, and future endeavour.- Chapter 10.- 10.1 Introduction.- 10.2 Taxonomic uncertainty.- 10.3 Needs for conservation.- 10.4 Fire as a management tool.- 10.5 Conservation and landscape issues.- 10.6 Climatechange.- 10.7 Expanding ranges.- 10.8 Effective butterfly conservation.- 10.9 Towards management.- 10.10 The future.- 10.11 Lessons from and for elsewhere.- 10.12 Broader regional context.- References.- Index.