{"id":2177658,"date":"2024-10-01T06:01:27","date_gmt":"2024-10-01T04:01:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/?p=2177658"},"modified":"2024-10-01T06:45:02","modified_gmt":"2024-10-01T04:45:02","slug":"butterfly-emergency-declared-as-uk-summer-count-hits-record-low","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/butterfly-emergency-declared-as-uk-summer-count-hits-record-low\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Butterfly emergency\u2019 declared as UK summer count hits record low"},"content":{"rendered":"
A national \u201cbutterfly emergency\u201d has been declared by Butterfly Conservation after the lowest Big Butterfly Count since records began.<\/p>\n
An average of just seven butterflies per 15-minute count were recorded by participants in this summer\u2019s butterfly count, the lowest in the survey\u2019s 14-year history.<\/p>\n
It was the worst year on record for once-ubiquitous species, including the common blue, small tortoiseshell, small white and green-veined white. Eight out of the 10 most-seen species have declined \u2013 in many cases dramatically \u2013 over the count\u2019s history. Previous lowest-ever numbers of butterflies-per-count were logged in 2022, 2021 and 2020.<\/p>\n
Butterfly Conservation is calling for the government to declare a \u201cnature emergency\u201d and ban insect-killing neonicotinoid pesticides, with no exceptions. Britain and the EU banned neonicotinoids in 2018 but the UK government has authorised an exemption for the pesticides to be used on sugar beet every year since 2021. Before the election, Labour promised to ban all neonicotinoids.<\/p>\n
Richard Fox, head of science at Butterfly Conservation, said: \u201cThe previous lowest average number of butterflies per count was nine in 2022, this latest figure is 22% lower than that, which is very disturbing. Not just that, but a third of the species recorded in the Big Butterfly Count have had their worst year on record, and no species had their best. The results are in line with wider evidence that the summer of 2024 has been very poor for butterflies.<\/p>\n
\u201cButterflies are a key indicator species; when they are in trouble we know that 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Crashes in flying insect populations including beetles and wasps have been widely observed during the summer after a prolonged wet and cold first half of the season.<\/p>\n
But experts say the declines in butterflies and other flying insects appear to be more than seasonal fluctuations relating to bad weather.<\/p>\n
Although the gatekeeper was the most-seen butterfly in the 2024 count, over the 14 years of recording its numbers have fallen by 32%. There have been similar long-term declines for other species in the top 10 including the small white (down 19% over 14 years), peacock (down 30%), speckled wood (down 38%) and green-veined white (down 65%).<\/p>\n
The only butterfly to do significantly better than 2023 was the ringlet, whose caterpillars feed on grass and benefits from damper years. Its numbers increased by 85% on last summer but over 14 years its abundance has plummeted by 47%.<\/p>\nA speckled wood butterfly. Photograph: Bob Eade\/Butterfly Conservation\/PA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
A speckled wood butterfly. Photograph: Bob Eade\/Butterfly Conservation\/PA \nIn total, more than 85,000 citizen scientists recorded 935,000 butterflies and day-flying moths over three weeks from 12 July, down almost 600,000, equivalent to more than a third of 2023\u2019s total. In 9,000 counts, participants failed to see a single butterfly or moth, the highest number of zero-counts in the citizen science programme\u2019s history.<\/p>\n
Butterfly Conservation is asking people to sign its open letter to the environment secretary, Steve Reed, calling for a complete ban on neonicotinoids.<\/p>\n
Fox said: \u201cWhen used on farmland, these chemicals make their way into the wild plants growing at field edges, resulting in adult butterflies and moths drinking contaminated nectar and caterpillars feeding on contaminated plants. Many European countries have already banned these chemicals, it\u2019s time for the UK to follow suit and put the natural world first. If we don\u2019t act now to address the long-term drivers of butterfly decline, we will face extinction events never before seen in our lifetime.\u201d<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: \u201cNature underpins everything and we must protect our butterflies and other pollinators. That is why we are committed to deliver for nature and will change existing policies, including banning the use of those neonicotinoid pesticides that threaten vital pollinators.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 10 most-seen butterflies in the 2024 Big Butterfly Count<\/h2>\nA green-veined white butterfly, sightings of which have fallen 65% since the Big Butterfly Count started. Photograph: Andrew Cooper\/Butterfly Conservation\/PA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
A green-veined white butterfly, sightings of which have fallen 65% since the Big Butterfly Count started. Photograph: Andrew Cooper\/Butterfly Conservation\/PA \nSpecies, number counted, 14-year trend<\/p>\n
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