Alarming decline in butterfly numbers

Falls due to problems in the wider state of the environment. Emily Beament reports

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BUTTERFLY numbers have fallen by nearly a fifth since the 1970s, with species that need specific habitats faring even worse, official figures show.

Conservationists warn that falls in butterfly numbers are a signal of problems in the wider state of the environment, and reveal what is happening to many other insects that are a key part of ecosystems.

The latest annual update on butterfly monitoring published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) reveal abundance across all species has declined 18% in the UK and 19% in England over the long term.

Specialists which need specific habitats such as flower-rich grassland, heathland and woodland clearings to thrive have seen numbers decline by more than a third (39%) across the UK, and 25% in England, and nearly half (46%) of individual species that are restricted to certain habitats have seen declines in the UK, while 50% have seen numbers fall in England.