Biggest ever survey charts decline of butterflies (Uk)

[Neil Jones]

This is the text of a press release from Butterfly Conservation
(The popular name for the British Butterfly Conservation Society)

The book is magnificent. I have just received my copy. It has to be
one of the best books on everything to everything to do with British
Butterflies. 
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Biggest ever survey charts decline of butterflies

Butterflies are declining fast as a result of human activity. This is the
 headline news of the Millennium Atlas of Butterflies in Britain and Ireland,
 a new book documenting the fortunes of butterflies. 
10, 000 people contributed over 1.6 million butterfly sightings between
 1995-9, making it the largest and most detailed survey of butterflies ever
 carried out 

Writing in the foreword, Sir David Attenborough said, "Like miners' canaries,
 butterflies can give warnings of environmental dangers". Their plight
 mirrors the decline of farmland birds and sends a clear warning signal about
 the devastating effect we are having on our environment. 

The results present a gloomy picture according to the environmental charity
 Butterfly Conservation and the Biological Records Centre at the Centre for
 Ecology and Hydrology who co-ordinated the survey:
Half of Britain's butterfly species have declined substantially over the past
 200 years
Five have become extinct 
15 have been lost from over 50% of their range 
Butterflies of woodland and wet meadows have been worst affected in recent
decades, including the High Brown Fritillary (77% decrease since the 1970s),
Wood White (62% decrease), Pearl-bordered Fritillary (60% decrease) and Marsh
Fritillary (55% decrease)

Dr. Martin Warren, Director of Conservation for Butterfly Conservation,
 said, "Land use changes over the past 50 years have been disastrous for 
butterflies as their habitats have been lost to intensive agriculture and 
forestry. The only way back for butterflies is if farmers, foresters and land
owners are supported to manage their land in a more wildlife friendly way." 

It is not all bad news though. 
15 species have expanded their ranges, almost certainly as a result of global
warming The Essex Skipper and Brown Argus have doubled their ranges since the
 1970s
Others, such as the Comma and Marbled White are heading northwards rapidly

Only butterflies that are able to use widespread habitats such as hedgerows 
and road verges have capitalised on our warmer climate. Rarer species can no
longer move between the small habitat fragments that remain in the 
countryside, and may be at risk as the climate changes.

Richard Fox, survey organiser, praised the role of volunteers. "This book 
shows that the public can make a substantial contribution to scientific 
knowledge simply by recording the butterflies they see. The records provide 
a vital tool in the fight to conserve our butterflies."

Paul Harding, Head of the Biological Records Centre, said "Our wildlife is 
undergoing continuous changes and butterflies are particularly sensitive 
indicators. The new book demonstrates the importance of keeping an accurate 
record of our wildlife and the need to update this information regularly."

ENDS
Contact

Martin Warren, Butterfly Conservation ( 01929 400209 * 
mwarren at butterfly-conservation.org

Further details on the Millennium Atlas, the survey findings and the 
organisations involved:
Butterfly Conservation: www.butterfly-conservation.org
Biological Records Centre: www.brc.ac.uk
Centre for Ecology and Hydrology: www.ceh.ac.uk
Natural Environment Research Council: www.nerc.ac.uk
 


Notes to editors 

The Millennium Atlas of Butterflies in Britain and Ireland 
(ISBN 0 19 850565 5) is published by Oxford University Press on 1st March 
2001 (rrp UKP30). Written in a non-technical style and illustrated in colour,
the book provides an up-to-date assessment of the status of our butterflies, 
their habitats, the threats they face, and a vision of how they might be 
conserved in the future. Welcoming the new atlas, Mark Carwardine, presenter 
of Radio 4's Nature series, said "there is no doubt that the future of
 Britain's butterflies looks much brighter with the publication of this 
informative, inspiring, insightful and intriguing book."

The Millennium Atlas survey, known as Butterflies for the New Millennium, is
probably the largest and most comprehensive survey of any insect group ever 
carried out in the world. It was run by Butterfly Conservation and the 
Biological Records Centre, in association with the Dublin Naturalists' 
Field Club, and funded by the Esmee Fairbairn Charitable Trust, Vincent 
Wildlife Trust and ICI, amongst others. The survey relied upon volunteer 
county co-ordinators and partnerships between hundreds of organisations, 
including the Wildlife Trusts, local records centres, RSPB, National Trust, 
Ministry of Defence and statutory nature conservation agencies.

Butterfly Conservation is the largest insect conservation charity in Europe. 
Its aim is the conservation of butterflies, moths and their habitats. As well 
as taking the lead role in butterfly recording, it manages reserves and runs 
programmes on over 60 threatened species.

Biological Records Centre collates, manages and disseminates information 
about the occurrence of plants and animals in the UK. It is funded by the 
NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and  Joint Nature Conservation 
Committee, and forms a key part of the National Biodiversity Network.

Further information on the butterfly species mentioned:
The High Brown Fritillary (Argynnis adippe) is a large orange and black 
butterfly, which was once common in woodland clearings across Britain. 
Recent severe declines have made it one of our rarest butterflies. Only 
about 50 colonies remain in south-west and north-west England and parts of 
Wales and the west Midlands. 
The Wood White (Leptidea sinapis) is a delicate, white butterfly that was 
previously distributed widely in English and Welsh woodlands. Substantial
declines during the 20th century have reduced it to strongholds in 
Herefordshire/ Worcestershire, Northants/Bucks and Devon/Somerset. It is 
faring better in Ireland.
The Pearl-bordered Fritillary (Boloria euphrosyne) is a beautiful butterfly 
with silvery-white "pearl" markings on orange, cream and black wings. It has
undergone a dramatic decline, disappearing from most central and eastern 
counties of England and almost all of Wales. It has been more stable in 
Scotland.
The Marsh Fritillary (Euphydryas aurinia) is a stunning butterfly with orange,
cream and black wings. It lives in wet grasslands in south-west England, 
south-west Wales and west Scotland. It has been lost from much of central and 
eastern Britain, declines that have been mirrored in Ireland and throughout 
Europe. 
The Essex Skipper (Thymelicus lineola) is a small, orange butterfly that was 
previously restricted to eastern England. It has undergone the biggest 
increase of any species in the past 30 years and is now widespread across 
East Anglia, the Midlands and southern England. In 2000 it was recorded in
Wales for the first time.
The Brown Argus (Aricia agestis) is a small, rich-brown butterfly with orange
markings, which is found as far north as Yorkshire. In the 1990s, the 
butterfly expanded from traditional strongholds on chalk and limestone 
grasslands, colonising large areas of central and eastern England.
The Comma (Polygonia c-album) is an orange and black butterfly with 
distinctive ragged-edged wings. Although primarily a woodland butterfly, 
it is a common visitor to gardens. In recent decades it has moved northwards 
rapidly, reaching as far as the Scottish border. A few individuals have 
been seen in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man, raising hopes 
that the butterfly may soon settle in these countries.
The Marbled White (Melanargia galathea) is a grassland species found as 
far north as Yorkshire. This distinctive black and white checked butterfly 
has spread recently in the Midlands and in Yorkshire. 

-- 
Neil Jones- Neil at nwjones.demon.co.uk http://www.nwjones.demon.co.uk/
"At some point I had to stand up and be counted. Who speaks for the
butterflies?" Andrew Lees - The quotation on his memorial at Crymlyn Bog
National Nature Reserve


 
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