‘Butterfly emergency’ declared as UK summer count hits record low | Butterflies

September 17, 2024

A butterfly conservation group has declared a nationwide “butterfly emergency” following the record low numbers. Large butterfly count Since records began.

During butterfly watching this summer, participants recorded an average of just seven butterflies per 15 minutes of watching, the lowest figure in the survey's 14-year history.

It was the worst year on record for a once ubiquitous species. Common Blue, Small tortoiseshellsmall white butterfly, green-striped white butterfly, etc. Eight of the 10 most commonly seen species have declined, often dramatically, in the history of the count. The lowest numbers of butterflies per count so far have been in 2022, 2021 and 2020.

Butterfly conservation groups are calling on the government to declare a “nature emergency” and ban neonicotinoid pesticides for pest control without exception. The UK and EU banned neonicotinoids in 2018, but the UK government has allowed an exception for their use on sugar beets annually from 2021 onwards. Before the election, the Labour Party promised a total ban on neonicotinoids.

Butterfly Conservation's head of science, Richard Fox, said: “The lowest average butterfly count ever recorded was nine in 2022, but this latest figure is 22% lower than that, which is extremely worrying. Not only that, a third of the species recorded in the Big Butterfly Count had their worst year on record and no species had their best year. This result is consistent with wider evidence that the summer of 2024 was a very poor one for butterflies.”

“Butterflies are an important indicator species. When butterflies are at risk, we know the wider environment is at risk too. It's nature's warning. We must act now to turn the tide of their rapid decline and protect the species for future generations.”

A sharp decline in populations of flying insects such as beetles and wasps has been widely observed during the summer, following a period of wet and cold weather in the first half of the summer.

But experts say the decline in butterflies and other flying insects is due to more than just seasonal fluctuations caused by bad weather.

In the 2024 survey, the gatekeeper was the most commonly observed butterfly, but its numbers have fallen by 32% over the 14 years that records have been kept. Other species in the top 10 have seen similar long-term declines, including the common hawk moth (down 19% over 14 years), peacock moth (down 30%), white-winged moth (down 38%) and mountain white moth (down 65%).

The only butterfly that fared significantly better than in 2023 was the ringlet butterfly, whose caterpillars feed on grass and benefit from a wet year. Its population was up 85% since last summer, but its population has fallen 47% in 14 years.

Spotted tree butterfly. Photo: Bob Eid/Butterfly Conservation/PA

In total, more than 85,000 citizen scientists recorded 935,000 butterflies and daytime flying moths over the three-week period beginning July 12, a drop of about 600,000 and more than a third from the 2023 total. In 9,000 counts, participants failed to see a single butterfly or moth, marking the highest number of zero counts in the history of the citizen science program.

Butterfly conservation is for people Sign the open letter He called on Environment Minister Steve Reid to impose a total ban on neonicotinoids.

Mr Fox said: “When used on agricultural land, these chemicals find their way into wild plants growing on the field edges, where adult butterflies and moths drink the contaminated nectar and their larvae eat the contaminated plants. Many European countries have already banned these chemicals and it's time for the UK to follow suit and put the natural world first. If we do not act now to address the long-term drivers of butterfly declines, we could face extinctions the likes of which we've never seen in our lifetimes.”

A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesman said: “Nature is the foundation of everything and we must protect butterflies and other pollinators. That's why we are committed to working for nature and will be making changes to existing policy, including banning the use of neonicotinoid pesticides, which threaten our essential pollinators.”