ST. ALBANS, England, March 13 (UPI) -- Two prominent British naturalists collaborated this week to plan the construction of the largest butterfly safe-house in the world, a report said.
Sir David Attenborough and David Bellamy said the more than $50 million "Butterfly World" project is necessary to save the species from severe decline, The Times of London reported.
"Butterfly World is designed to bring the public into direct contact with some of the most fragile and beautiful wildlife in the world and send out a clarion call on behalf of this endangered treasure," said Clive Farrell, who pioneered the idea for the project.
More than 75 percent of the 54 butterfly species in Britain reportedly have fallen in numbers during the past two decades, with many in serious danger of extinction.
The Butterfly World biodome, built near St. Albans, will contain 100,000 tropical species and will attract a projected 1 million people a year after its 2011 completion, the Times reported.
