Butterflies flying higher and north to escape warmth

[Will Cook]

Forwarded from Ecolog-L...

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Butterflies flying higher and north to escape warmth

By Paul Kelbie, Scotland Correspondent; 08 January 2003
  From The Independent newspaper, London, at:
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/environment/story.jsp?story=367295

Britain's butterflies are being driven north to higher ground in an attempt to 
escape rising temperatures blamed on global warming. Research shows they are 
among many species of wildlife being forced from the increasingly warmer 
southern areas and conservationists fear there will be disastrous consequences. 
Experts from Butterfly Conservation, the largest insect conservation charity in 
Europe, with scientists from the Universities of York, Leeds and Durham found 
the temperatures rise was pushing northern butterfly species to the limits of 
their existence.

Threatened species such as the large heath, which is predicted to
decline by almost 80 per cent by the end of the century, have moved, on
average, more than 41 metres uphill.

As temperatures rise further, northern species such as mountain ringlet, 
northern brown argus, Scotch argus and the chequered skipper are expected to 
decline severely, with up to 70 per cent of populations being wiped out as they 
disappear from habitats.

"Northern butterflies such as the mountain ringlet will continue to move to 
higher ground, but once the mountain summits are reached, there's nowhere left 
to go," Richard Fox, surveys manager with Butterfly Conservation, said.

"These anticipated declines are of enormous concern, and this research 
highlights the need for a new landscape approach to conservation through the 
protection and re-creation of wildlife habitats throughout the countryside.

"Butterflies are sensitive indicators of change in our environment and there is 
little doubt that climate change will have a substantial effect on our wildlife."



______________________________________________________
Matthew Shepherd, Pollinator Program Director
The Xerces Society
4828 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97215, USA
Tel: 503-232 6639 Fax: 503-233 6794
Email: mdshepherd at xerces.org
______________________________________________________
The Xerces Society is a nonprofit organization
dedicated to protecting the diversity of life
through the conservation of invertebrates.

For information and membership details,
see our website at www.xerces.org
______________________________________________________

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