Following stark results of this summer’s Big Butterfly Count, wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation has declared a ‘Butterfly Emergency\u2019 <\/p>
Dwindling populations of butterflies in the UK have reached a critical point\u00a0and a wildlife charity is sounding the alarm.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p> Following\u00a0stark results of the 2024 Big Butterfly Count, Butterfly Conservation<\/a> has declared a\u00a0\u2018Nature Emergency\u2019.\u00a0The\u00a0charity\u2019s annual survey\u00a0revealed that the nation\u2019s butterflies\u00a0are under unprecedented threat, with some species experiencing their worst year ever recorded.<\/p> This summer\u2019s\u00a0Big Butterfly Count<\/a>, a\u00a0citizen science\u00a0survey designed to assess the health of butterfly populations across the UK, recorded the lowest number of butterflies in its 14-year history. Nearly a third of the butterfly species monitored experienced their worst numbers on record, while more than 9,000 surveys reported not spotting a single butterfly.<\/p> The charity said it was the worst year recorded for the for Common Blue, Holly Blue, Green-veined White, Small White, Small Tortoiseshell, Painted Lady and Scotch Argus.\u00a0The total number of butterflies and day-flying moths recorded during the count was down by an alarming 600,000,\u00a0representing\u00a0a one-third reduction compared to 2023\u2019s already concerning figures.<\/p> When they\u2019re in trouble, we\u2019re in trouble<\/p> Dr Richard Fox of Butterfly Conservation, said:\u00a0\u201cThe results are in line with wider evidence that the summer of 2024 has been very poor for butterflies.<\/p> \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> Experts say this year\u2019s\u00a0unusually wet and windy spring, along with the relatively cool summer could be contributing to the lack of butterflies.<\/p> \u201cButterflies need some warm and dry conditions to be able to fly around and mate,” explained Dr Dan Hoare, Director of Conservation at Butterfly Conservation.<\/p> “If the weather doesn\u2019t allow for this there will be fewer opportunities to breed, and the lack of butterflies now is likely the knock-on effect of our very dreary spring and early summer.\u201d<\/p> It’s not only the weather that’s contributing to the fall in butterflies seen this year, according to Butterfly Conservation, who say that habitat loss, climate change and pesticide use have been the main drivers of an 80% decline in butterfly numbers since the 1970s.<\/p> Time to act<\/strong><\/p> In light of the survey results, Butterfly Conservation has\u00a0called\u00a0for\u00a0immediate\u00a0government intervention.\u00a0The charity\u00a0is writing an open letter to Steve Reed, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, calling for the Government to declare a\u00a0\u2018Nature Emergency\u2019\u00a0and ban the use of neonicotinoid pesticides.<\/p> These chemicals have been linked to widespread damage to pollinators, including butterflies, moths, and bees. Although banned in the UK in 2018, neonicotinoids have been approved four times in emergency situations to combat a virus that affects sugar beet crops\u200b.<\/p> Dr Fox explains:\u00a0\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> How you can help butterflies<\/strong><\/p> Next year’s count Big Butterfly Count will take place 18 July to 10 August 2025.\u00a0To take part, all you need to is find a sunny spot to sit outdoors for 15 minutes and\u00a0count the types and amount of butterflies you see. You can do as many counts as you like.<\/p> Following stark results of this summer’s Big Butterfly Count, wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation has declared a ‘Butterfly Emergency\u2019 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":42047,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"3"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/09\/butterfly-emergency-declared.jpg",2560,1707,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/09\/butterfly-emergency-declared-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/09\/butterfly-emergency-declared-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/09\/butterfly-emergency-declared-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/09\/butterfly-emergency-declared-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/09\/butterfly-emergency-declared-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/09\/butterfly-emergency-declared-2048x1366.jpg",2048,1366,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Following stark results of this summer's Big Butterfly Count, wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation has declared a 'Butterfly Emergency\u2019","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/42046"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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