Butterfly scientists call on public for help - Butterfly Conservation
Butterfly Conservation are today urging the whole nation to help Britain’s butterflies by taking part in the Big Butterfly Count.
Butterfly Conservation revealed in May that half of Britain’s remaining butterfly species are now on the Red List and threatened or near threatened with extinction. Last year’s Big Butterfly Count saw the lowest ever number of butterflies recorded. As butterflies and moths are an important indicator of the health of our environment, a reduction in their numbers is a cause for serious concern.
However, taking part in the Big Butterfly Count is one really positive way that everyone can help. The information gathered is vital in helping scientists understand more about what is happening to the nation’s butterflies and therefore put in place the conservation measures needed to protect them. In recent years Butterfly Conservation has helped save two species from extinction in the UK and halted the decline of many others. The charity has proved that with the right information and targeted action, species can be brought back from the brink.
Dr Zoe Randle, Senior Surveys Officer at Butterfly Conservation says: “Thanks to the wonderful British public who take part in their thousands, the Big Butterfly Count is the largest natural history citizen science project involving insects in the world and provides us with a valuable snapshot of what is happening for butterflies across the whole of the UK. It can act as an early-warning system, letting us know how various environmental changes are impacting insects and allow us to gather vital data from places that would otherwise be totally unrecorded.”
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Posted On: 15/07/2022