Assisted butterfly colonization successful

An experiment relocating butterfly colonies in Britain shows that animals and plants can be moved to new, cooler habitats to help them survive global warming, scientists said yesterday.

"Very many species around the world are moving because of climate change. But they are often moving slowly, lagging behind shifts in the climate," said Chris Thomas, professor of Conservation Biology at the University of York.

Assisted colonization - moving creatures or plants to a habitat that has become suitable because of global warming - could help to safeguard wildlife and avert extinctions, he said.