Dorset charity reveals 'alarming' decline in Britain's butterflies
Butterfly Conservation say 80% of British species are declining
Half of Britain's butterfly species are now at risk of extinction, according to a report released today (Friday 3rd February).
A study's found 80% of our butterflies have decreased since the 1970's.
Dr Richard Fox from Butterfly Conservation at East Lulworth near Wareham says we should all be worried:
"(Butterflies are) telling us about the overall state of our environment. We all rely on our environment - on air, on water, on soils - and if butterflies are in decline, the natural world is in decline, and that's bad for humans."
The charity warns that 'decreases in butterfly populations on this scale are a huge cause for concern, as butterflies are an integral part of the UK ecosystem and their decline is a clear warning signal of the wider biodiversity crisis'.
Butterflies need grassland, heathland and woodland to thrive but those areas are reducing significantly.
Dr Richard Fox from the East Lulworth - based charity told us what's in place at the moment isn't enough:
"The overwhelming forces that are driving the decline, which are things like modern agriculture, pollution, pesticides, nitrogen, climate change - those force are still there, we haven't done anything to address those."
The State of the UK’s Butterflies 2022 report |newtab) reveals species that require flower-rich grassland, heathland, and woodland clearings to thrive have fallen by 27% on average.
It also follows the release of the new Red List of British Butterflies last May, which showed half of all the remaining species in Britain are now classed as threatened or near threatened.
Julie Williams, CEO of Butterfly Conservation, said:
“This report is yet more compelling evidence of nature’s decline in the UK. We are totally dependent on the natural world for food, water and clean air. The state of our species and habitats shows that the natural world is in trouble. We need swift and effective action on this. The decline in butterflies we have seen in our own lifetimes is shocking and we can no longer stand by and watch the UK’s biodiversity be destroyed.”
Butterfly Conservation worked with the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and British Trust for Ornithology to compile the report, based on nearly 23 million butterfly records, almost all of which were contributed by volunteer citizen scientists.