22 June, 2016
Scotland’s butterfly population shows winners and losers
Scotland’s butterfly population continues to have winners and losers in the face of climate change and habitat loss, the latest Scottish Biodiversity Indicator has reported.
The majority of Scottish butterflies can be conveniently classed as ‘specialists’ or ‘generalists.' Scotland’s specialist butterflies have declined by 67% since 1979. Three species declined significantly – small pearl bordered fritillary (over the past 10 years) large heath and grayling.
Generalists like Small Skipper and Essex Skipper are benefitting from climate change and have expanded their range into southern Scotland. And three generalist butterflies show climate-driven, significant long-term population increases – peacock, speckled wood and orange-tip.
Regular migrant butterflies, including the red admiral, are also growing in number,
Butterflies are a familiar sight in the summer months across Scotland. Some inhabit a range of habitats and include meadow brown and small tortoiseshell, commonly found throughout Scotland.
• The all-species and generalist species long-term trends were classed as showing no overall change
• Specialist butterflies have declined ‘significantly’ over the long-term, with butterfly abundance in 2014 67% lower than in 1979.
Others are specialists that are more restricted and may be found only in one specific semi-natural habitat such as large heath, which is typically a wetland species.
Habitat loss and change through intensification of agricultural and forestry practices, climate change and increased nitrogen deposition are important factors linked to the declines.
In Scotland butterflies are monitored through the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (UKBMS) www.ukbms.org Volunteers walk fixed route transects weekly from April to September each year. The indicator describes trends for 20 of the 34 regularly occurring butterfly species in Scotland at 436 sample locations.
Link to report here: http://www.snh.gov.uk/publications-data-and-research/our-changing-environment/scotlands-indicators/biodiversity-indicators/biodiversity-state-indicators-list/
The UKBMS is operated by Butterfly Conservation, the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and the British Trust for Ornithology and funded by a multi-agency consortium including the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Forestry Commission, Natural England, the Natural Environment Research Council, Natural Resources Wales and Scottish Natural Heritage. The UKBMS is indebted to all volunteers who contribute data to the scheme.
Butterfly Conservation is the UK charity dedicated to halting the rapid decline of butterflies and moths and protecting our environment. We run conservation programmes for more than 100 threatened species and manage more than 30 nature reserves. www.butterfly-conservation.org
The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) is the UK’s foremost independent bird research organisation and organises a range of annual and periodic surveys, mainly on birds, and including the BTO/JNCC/RSPB Breeding Bird Survey. Information on population trends in birds and other wildlife are provided on our website (www.bto.org) and you can follow the latest news and developments via twitter @_BTO
The Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH) is the UK’s Centre of excellence for integrated research in the land and freshwater ecosystems and their interaction with the atmosphere. CEH is part of the Natural Environment Research council (NERC), employs more than 450 people at four major sites in England, Scotland and Wales, hosts more than 150 PhD students and has a budget of around £35m. CEH tackles complex environmental challenges to deliver practicable solutions so that future generations can benefit from a rich and healthy environment. www.ceh.ac.uk You can follow the latest developments in CEH research via twitter www.twitter.com/CEHScienceNews and our rss news feed http://www.ceh.ac.uk/rss.xml
Contact information
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- SNH Media
- snhmedia@snh.gov.uk
NatureScot is Scotland's nature agency. We work to enhance our natural environment in Scotland and inspire everyone to care more about it. Our priority is a nature-rich future for Scotland and an effective response to the climate emergency. For more information, visit our website at www.nature.scot or follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/nature_scot
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