Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.
But this year’s results were the worst in the count’s 14-year history, with participants seeing an average of just seven butterflies per count, down by almost half on last year’s average of 12, and the lowest the survey has recorded. to see.
And 9,000 counts were recorded as no butterflies – the highest in the history of the citizen science scheme, which asks people to submit their results even if they don’t see any of the insects in their 15-minute count.
Butterfly Conservation said it was the worst summer on record for butterflies including the common blue and holly, greenwings and small whites, small tortoiseshell, painted lady and Scotch argus.
And four-fifths (81%) of species showed reductions in the number of butterflies this year compared to those seen in 2023.
The charity says butterflies have been hit by a wet spring and cold summer – but warns that natural fluctuations in insect numbers, which are affected by the weather, are in addition to serious long-term declines.
Dr Richard Fox, head of science at Butterfly Conservancy, said decline was driven by the loss of habitat in the 1970s and 1980s as it was plowed over or built on, and the continued degradation of the landscape since then, including pesticide pollution, and extreme weather from climate change taking its toll.
And he said intensive management of the countryside and gardens, including from an “obsession with neatness which is very bad for nature” is also having an effect.
Butterfly Conservation is writing an open letter to Environment Secretary Steve Reed, calling on the Government to declare a “nature emergency” and ban neonicotinoid pesticides without any exceptions.
The pesticides are well known for their harmful effect on bees, and have been banned in the UK with emergency exemptions granted under certain circumstances, but the nature charity draws attention to their effect on butterflies too.
Dr Fox said: “When used on farmland, these chemicals make their way into the wild plants that grow on the edges of fields, leading to butterflies and moths drinking nectar after ‘to contaminate and caterpillars feed on contaminated plants.”
He said the UK must ban the chemicals, warning: “If we don’t act now to tackle the long-term drivers of butterfly decline, we will face unprecedented extinction events in our lifetime .”
He said the neonicotinoid ban alone would not reverse the declines, but would have a positive effect on insects.
Butterflies are a key indicator species; when they are in trouble we know the wider environment is in trouble too
In total, just over 935,000 butterflies and moths were recorded flying during the day across the UK, in the period between July 12 and August 4, down by more than a third compared to 2023 figures.
The previous lowest number of butterflies seen per count was in 2022, when an average of just nine butterflies were seen in each 15-minute survey, and this year, a third of the common species of flying butterflies and moths during the day are included in the count. had their worst year ever.
“The results are in line with wider evidence that the summer of 2024 has been very poor for butterflies,” said Dr Fox.
The data collected from the public also shows a reduction over the 14 years of the count for a number of common butterflies, including small tortoiseshell and common blue which have more than halved, while green-veined white down almost two thirds (65%).
Overall, the 14-year trends show that 11 species – around two-thirds of those included in the count – are declining, with only three species, red admiral, holly and small coppers, which increase.
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Dr Fox said: “Butterflies are a key indicator species; when they are in trouble we know the wider environment is in trouble too.
“Nature is sounding the alarm call. We must act now if we are to turn the tide on these rapid declines and protect species for future generations,” he warned.
He also said that those who took part seeing no butterflies at all this year in their count caused a change in perception which made people realize that action was needed.
And while he said citizen scientists were “fantastic” at monitoring nature, he added: “At some point we have to say, are we just going to keep counting these things until they’re all gone or are we actually going to do something about it. it is.”
Anyone with outdoor space can help by creating places for butterflies and their caterpillars, he said, but he also called on the Government to step up and take action.
(Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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