More than half of native UK butterfly species declining, study finds

More than half of British butterfly species have experienced dramatic declines in population over the last 50 years, the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme has found.

Having gathered 44 million records since 1976, the survey has found a decline in 33 out of 59 species native to the UK. Over the same time period, 25 species have experienced an increase in population.

Both trends have been attributed to the increasingly warming climate of the UK, with certain more adaptable species taking advantage of the higher temperatures to expand into northern England and Scotland. Meanwhile, species specialised for unique habitats, such as chalk grasslands, have suffered the most.

Five species of butterfly have gone extinct in the last 150 years

Richard Fox of Butterfly Conservation has suggested that both pollution and habitat destruction have played a large role in these declines, where car exhaust fumes have disrupted the grassland habitats of the wall brown and grayling species.

Fox has also stated, however, that this is not yet the so-called Insectageddon that conservationists fear, and that the appropriate methods of conservation are known, but need to be implemented on a larger scale.

Though two have since been restored, five species of butterfly have gone extinct in the last 150 years; as more and more species come under threat, organisations like Butterfly Conservation are embarking on increasingly ambitious projects across the UK in the hopes of preserving vulnerable populations.

Butterflies play a crucial role in the UK’s environment, serving as indicators of ecosystems’ health and vital pollinators, and have long been used as symbols of conservation and eco-friendliness. Yet, they remain vulnerable and, according to Fox, the battle for conservation has become “urgent.”