Researchers use cryopreservation to help survival of rare British butterfly

British Swallowtail numbers have fallen because of habitat loss and climate change (Mark Collins/Swallowtail & Birdwing Butterfly Trust/PA) - (PA Wire)

Researchers are investigating whether a rare British butterfly could be reared from eggs frozen in liquid nitrogen in an effort to safeguard the future of the species.

The survival of the British Swallowtail butterfly, found exclusively in East Anglia and predominantly in the Norfolk Broads, is under threat and its population has dropped by 57% in the last 20 years.