Half of the UK butterfly species are in long-term decline

More than half of the butterfly species in the UK are in long-term decline and some action are to blame.

- 

The UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme, run by a coalition of conservation organisations, revealed that 2024 was the fifth worst year on records for butterflies, with half of the UK's butterfly species declining last year compared with 2023, while just six increased. Species including the small tortoiseshell, the chalk hill blue and small copper all suffered their worst year ever.

Richard Fox from Butterfly Conservation, said he was "devastated" by the declines in British butterflies, which he said were driven by humans destroying habitats, polluting the environment, using pesticides and climate change. The monitoring data was chiefly Butterfly Conservation, the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC). It has been running since 1976 and now sees volunteers count butterflies across more than 3,000 sites. It found 2024 was the second worst year on record for common butterflies that live in gardens and the wider countryside such as common blue, gatekeeper and large white, while nine species had their worst year since counting began.