A British property developer has unveiled an ambitious £25 million project to preserve the world’s butterflies inside a massive geodesic dome.

Clive Farrell wants his 100 metre wide dome to house 10,000 tropical butterflies when it opens in 2011 (press release).

“Butterflies are like the canaries in the coal mine,” he says. “When their environment is under stress, they are the first to suffer and disappear. … Drastic butterfly losses are continually being reported as we destroy their natural habitats at a frightening pace.”

The Telegraph notes that the dome will be big enough to house seven Stonehenges and will contain a replica of a lost Mayan city, the story is also covered in The Times, the Independent, and PA. Butterfly World – which is a commercial venture – is being back by two of the grande dames of British nature: David Attenborough and David Bellamy.

“More than three quarters of British butterfly species have declined in the last 20 years, some of them very rapidly,” says Attenborough. “That is worrying, not least because these declines indicate an underlying deterioration of the environment as a whole. For the sake of future generations we must take action now.”

The stated aims of the project are more about raising awareness rather than building a warm version of the Svalbard Vault for butterflies. Still, it’s nice for conservation attention to focus on the little species for once.

Image top: Artist’s impression of the dome and surrounding site

Image bottom: David Attenborough and David Bellamy