In worrying news for Britain’s nature lovers, The Big Butterfly Count 2024 has seen the lowest number of butterflies per count in its 14-year history, with more than 9,000 counts not seeing a single butterfly. In light of the worrying numbers, wildlife charity Butterfly Conversation is calling on the UK Government to declare a “Nature Emergency” and ask for toxic neonicotinoid pesticides to be banned before it is too late.
The Big Butterfly Count is an opportunity for the country to document and learn more about one of nature’s most beautiful creations. For the past fourteen years, the Wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation, with the assistance of the British public, has documented the types and numbers of the iconic insect, but this year’s count has raised alarm bells.
Many consider a country’s wildlife a good indicator of its natural health, and Britain, replete with its beautiful rolling hills and countryside, would give others around the world reason to think that it must be near the top of the biodiversity charts. Sadly, this could not be further from the truth. For many years, the wildlife that should be inhabiting the ‘green and pleasant land’ has been in serious decline.
The Big Butterfly Count 2024
This year’s results revealed that in more than 9,000 counts, not one butterfly was spotted. Even with those that did spot some, the numbers were less than stellar, with just seven butterflies on average per 15-minute Count. This is a reduction of almost 50% on last year’s average of 12 and the lowest in the history of the count.
According to the Big Butterfly Count team, 2024 was the worst summer in the count’s history for Common Blue, Holly Blue, Green-veined White, Small White, Small Tortoiseshell, Painted Lady and Scotch Argus. Most species (81%) showed a decline in their numbers compared with the 2023 count.
Throughout the country, less than a million (935,000) butterflies and day-flying months were seen between 12 July and 4 August. This number is down by almost 600,000, which equates to around one-third of 2023’s total.
Clearly, this is a worry, and no doubt there will be some who will automatically cite the weather as one of the primary reasons for the low number, however the problem extends far wider than that.
With scientists now highly concerned about the low numbers, the charity has declared a nationwide ‘Butterfly Emergency’ and is writing an open letter to Steve Reed, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
The charity is calling for the Government to act now for nature by declaring a ‘Nature Emergency’. They want to see the banning of butterfly-killing neonicotinoid pesticides once and for all, with no exceptions, before it’s too late.
Butterflies need your help, and you can do this by signing the charity’s letter to the Government requesting that it declare a ‘Nature Emergency’ and ban butterfly-killing neonicotinoid pesticides. Help butterflies and other insects before it is too late by visiting https://butterfly-conservation.org/emergency. The signing closes on Sunday, 13 October 2024.
Eighty-five thousand citizen scientists participated in the Big Butterfly Count 2024, producing 143,241 counts.
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