The National Biodiversity Data Centre has released its annual report for the Irish Butterfly Monitoring Scheme. Established in 2008, the Irish Butterfly Monitoring Scheme has been tracking change in butterfly populations for 14 years.
The scheme was established because butterflies are sensitive to changes in their environment making them good indicators of land-use and climate change. For 2021 the multi-species index showed that once again there was a moderate decline (-35%) in the number of butterflies flying in 2021 when compared to the baseline year of 2008. More information on the annual report can be found here.
Image Source: National Biodiversity Centre
Source: National Biodiversity Centre