British 'butterfly crisis' may be linked to reduced biodiversity

The Butterfly Conservation Ecosystem in Great Britain has declared a national “butterfly crisis”. Their annual “Big Butterfly Count” shows the lowest number of butterflies for the fourteenth year in a row. It is a crisis that can be linked to global biodiversity challenges.

Butterfly conservation Now the UK is calling on the government to ban certain pesticides that harm butterflies, bees and other insects. They stress that the continued decline of butterflies is indicative of wider environmental problems. Butterfly conservationist Dr Richard Fox explains BBC Butterflies are called an indicator species. When such a species declines, it shows that the wider environment is also in crisis.

Reduced insect populations are unfortunately not isolated to the UK. According to Nature Conservation Society There are warnings about declining insect populations around the world. Agriculture is at the center of debates about why pests are declining, with the use of harmful pesticides in agriculture being a strong influencing factor. Replacing these with alternatives that preserve biodiversity and secure a sustainable future for all species is critical.

IfDevelopmentNone of the insects are identical in SHowever, Sweden is not in the clear. Researchers at the Swedish Agricultural University (SLU) recently completed a census of the insects. Not less in Sweden. However, they could not explain why Sweden did not follow the same trend as the rest of the world. However, one theory is that climate changes have not affected Sweden in the same negative way as elsewhere and that the warmer climate may have even benefited some Swedish insects.