logo
‘National rescue mission' to save butterflies

‘National rescue mission' to save butterflies

Telegraph18-07-2025
The British public is being urged to take part in an annual butterfly count after experts declared an 'emergency' last year due to record low numbers.
The Big Butterfly Count, organised by wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation over three weeks in the summer, gets members of the public to spend 15 minutes recording the butterflies they see in their garden, park or countryside.
This year, the charity is urging people to take part in what it describes as a 'nationwide rescue mission' for the UK's ailing butterfly species, to provide data that helps scientists understand where butterflies are thriving, struggling or moving due to habitat loss or restoration.
Nationwide effort
Last year saw the lowest numbers spotted in the count's 14-year history, with a record number of counts logged as seeing no butterflies at all, and familiar species such as small whites, common blues and small tortoiseshells having their worst summer ever.
While 2024's lows were in part down to the wet spring and cool summer, and this year's warm sunny conditions are much better for butterflies, conservationists warn they will nonetheless come on top of long-term declines in the UK.
More than 80 per cent of butterfly species have declined since the 1970s, with experts warning they have been hit by damage to their habitats, climate change and the use of pesticides.
They say that taking part in the Big Butterfly Count can be a small action that contributes to the larger effort to save butterfly species and the natural systems they support.
Dr Richard Fox, head of science at Butterfly Conservation told the PA news agency: 'Butterfly numbers fluctuate from year to year in response to the weather, and the warm, sunny conditions over recent weeks have been much better for butterflies than the wetter, cool conditions last year, which resulted in one of the worst years for UK butterflies on record.
'How much butterflies have bounced back will only become clear if people get out, in their thousands, to take part in the Big Butterfly Count.'
He also warned that while 'it's lovely' to see more butterflies around, one better summer would only go a little way to reversing the long-term declines, with numbers in peak years lowering, and troughs when the weather is bad deepening.
'Also, although the recent sunshine is great for adult butterflies, the growing drought across many parts of Britain is bad news for their caterpillar offspring, which need growing plants to feed on.
'Ultimately, the more counts we get from all over the country, the better we are able to respond to the challenges, which certainly include extreme weather resulting from climate change,' he said.
To take part in the Big Butterfly Count, people can download the free app or visit www.bigbutterflycount.org, and between July 18 and August 10, spend 15 minutes in any outdoor space, counting the number and type of butterflies spotted, logging results on the website or app.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Nepalese gardeners' compost praised for quality in Reading study
Nepalese gardeners' compost praised for quality in Reading study

BBC News

time2 hours ago

  • BBC News

Nepalese gardeners' compost praised for quality in Reading study

Gardeners from a town's Nepalese community have been taking part in a study into the quality of their homemade from the University of Reading, in Berkshire, found that mustard plants grown in composts, created from kitchen and garden waste, grew better than those in shop-bought Deepti Angra, from the university's department of crop science, said it showed that homemade composts can be a better medium to "supercharge plant growth".The researchers plan to analyse the nutritional content of the mature plants to determine whether the use of homemade compost has any effect on health when eaten. The research project involved the Integrated Research Development Centre (IRDC), which works with underrepresented communities in Reading, with a particular focus on the Nepalese initial trial saw mustard leaves - commonly grown and eaten by the Nepalese community - grown both in glasshouses and found that plants grown in the homemade composts developed more rapidly, produced larger flowers and leaves, and exhibited stronger root Angra said the study confirmed "what many gardeners have long suspected"."The nutrient composition analysis showed our community-made compost was at least comparable, if not better than store-bought options, as it exhibits higher concentrations of micronutrients," she said."This ensures soil enrichment, which better supports the growing plants."Through the project, community members learned to create two types of compost - one from wooden chips and garden waste, the other from kitchen waste, with both showing "excellent growing capabilities".Krishna Neupane, IRDC chair said: "This research has empowered our Nepalese community group to be personally involved in their own waste management and food production."The scientific evidence supporting our homemade compost practices gives confidence to households wanting to make more sustainable, more affordable choices." You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.

Critically endangered angel shark filmed off Welsh coast in first spotting since 2021
Critically endangered angel shark filmed off Welsh coast in first spotting since 2021

The Guardian

time4 hours ago

  • The Guardian

Critically endangered angel shark filmed off Welsh coast in first spotting since 2021

One of the world's rarest sharks has been filmed off the Welsh coast, offering a fleeting glimpse into the life of a species teetering on the brink of extinction. Underwater footage shows a critically endangered angel shark swimming through the waters of Cardigan Bay – the first time it has been recorded on film in the area since 2021. The shark was captured by cameras deployed by the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales (WTSWW), designed to monitor biodiversity as part of a project investigating marine life in the region, many of which are under threat from human activities. 'We were thrilled to record an angel shark in Cardigan Bay, a rare and exciting encounter,' said Dr Sarah Perry, marine conservation and research manager at WTSWW. 'Before this project started, angel sharks hadn't been captured on film in Cardigan Bay since 2021.' Angel sharks are listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, with populations in steep decline due to habitat loss and commercial fishing. With numbers of the species falling, the shark is especially vulnerable to bottom trawling – the industrial fishing practice of dragging vast, weighted nets along the sea floor, scooping up everything in their path. 'While Cardigan Bay and other vital habitats are full of incredible wildlife and store vast amounts of carbon, yet they are threatened with destruction by industrial-scale fishing in many areas,' WTSWW said. Despite the decline, Dr Perry said the sighting 'comes at a crucial time, as the Senedd and UK government discuss a ban on bottom trawling in marine protected areas'. And while Wales has 139 designated marine protected areas (MPAs), conservationists say many still remain exposed to damaging activities such as trawling, dredging and even seabed mining. Angel sharks – slow to reproduce and adapted to life near the ocean floor – are particularly susceptible to these pressures. Our underwater cameras in Cardigan Bay give an incredible insight into our seabeds in West Wales. They recently captured an Angelshark, one of the world's rarest & most threatened shark species! 🦈Read the full story: The UK parliament's environmental audit committee has recommended a full ban on bottom trawling within MPAs, calling for stronger protection of marine habitats across the board. Ministers have previously suggested they might take action, and while protections exist against harmful fishing practices in around 60% of marine protected areas, a full ban has yet to be implemented. Environmental groups warn that without urgent and comprehensive protection, species like the angel shark could disappear entirely from UK waters. The Wildlife Trusts are urging the public to take part in an open UK government consultation on banning bottom trawling in MPAs, which remains open over the summer.

Archaeologists from London help catalogue ancient Jersey finds
Archaeologists from London help catalogue ancient Jersey finds

BBC News

time6 hours ago

  • BBC News

Archaeologists from London help catalogue ancient Jersey finds

Archaeologists from London are visiting Jersey to help catalogue and store hundreds of ice age animal bone from an ancient site. Jersey Heritage said while the items, found before 1960 at La Cotte de St Brelade, had been subjected to detailed work, the early finds were yet to be studied using modern scientific techniques. It said visitors could meet the team from the University College London (UCL) Institute of Archaeology for a free "Meet the Collections" event on Saturday at Sir Francis Cook Gallery. The finds, which are part of a Société Jersiaise collection, include a fragment of woolly mammoth bone and lots of pieces of horse, red deer, bison, and bear bones, said Jersey Heritage. It added the UCL team was interested in the remains of animals that may have been hunted by some of the last surviving Neanderthal groups in the Heritage said: "There is no reason why some of these fragments of bone might not be from the Neanderthal people themselves." Curator of archaeology at Jersey Heritage, Olga Finch, said: "It's great to have the expertise of the London team to undertake this curatorial work and provide a detailed catalogue, which the public and researchers can access to learn more about this important story in the Island's history."Dr Matt Pope from UCL said it was exciting to be involved in the "important process"."This is one of the most important collections of Ice Age animal bone in the region and we are getting every ready to unlock its secrets," he added.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store