7 In 10 British Butterfly Species Declining Rapidly - Guardian

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Seven in 10 British butterfly species are declining dramatically as a result of intensive farming, habitat loss and climate change, the largest survey of Europe's butterflies has revealed.

Butterflies are one of the best studied insect groups and because of their short lifespan are particularly vulnerable to environmental threats. "They are very sensitive to change," said Martin Warren, director of Butterfly Conservation in Dorset and one of the study's authors. This means they can act as harbingers of future declines in other species.

The picture's pretty depressing," said Dr Warren. "A lot of quite widespread species are declining. has big implications for the ecosystem." he survey, which is reported today by New Scientist magazine, gathered data on 576 butterfly species from 45 countries. "The picture in Britain is dreadful," said Dr Warren, with seven in 10 British species dropping. Things are worse in central Europe. In Belgium, over three-quarters of its species are in freefall.

Overall, the study signalled an 11% fall in the habitat occupied by butterflies over 25 years, with the sharpest declines in species specialising in particular habitats. The distribution of grassland, wetland and forest specialists decreased by 19%, 15% and 14% respectively, while generalists suffered only a 1% decline. Seventy-one species are recorded as "threatened", according to the World Conservation Union.

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/thisweek/story/0,,1731702,00.html?gusrc=rss