About 10% of the Earth’s butterfly species inhabit the highly diverse ecosystems of China. Important for the ecological, economic, and cultural services they provide, many butterfly species experience threats from land use shifts and climate change. China has recently adopted policies to protect the nation’s biodiversity resources. This essay examines the current management of butterflies in China and suggests various easily implementable actions that could improve these conservation efforts. Our recommendations are based on the observations of a transdisciplinary group of entomologists and environmental policy specialists. Our analysis draws on other successful examples around the world that China may wish to consider. China needs to modify its scientific methodologies behind butterfly conservation management: revising the criteria for listing protected species, focusing on umbrella species for broader protection, identifying high priority areas and refugia for conservation, among others. Rural and urban land uses that provide heterogeneous habitats, as well as butterfly host and nectar plants, must be promoted. Butterfly ranching and farming may also provide opportunities for sustainable community development. Many possibilities exist for incorporating observations of citizen scientists into butterfly data collection at broad spatial and temporal scales. Our recommendations further the ten Priority Areas of China’s National Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and Action Plan (2011–2030).

The aim of this study was to investigate the spatial distribution patterns and the amounts of seedling density of S. pennata in different sample dunes in Gurbantonggut Desert. Results indicate that spatial patterns of seedling emergence of S. pennata were of general similar with the distribution patterns of its associated standing vegetations, and was greatly associated with spatial distribution of the threshold wind (≥6m.s-1) frequency from the various directions. There existed a significant difference in its seedling emergence patterns among the different parts of the dunes and the different directions around its parent vegetation beds. The highest seedling density was found to be on the top parts of sampling dunes and at the underlayer of standing vegetation beds of S. pennata, and higher seedling densities usually took place in the leeward side of the vegetation beds. These results had revealed the ecological characteristics of the population distribution rule and the recruitments mechanism of S. pennata.