Butterflies need help

Hot on the heels of a new report by Butterfly Conservation, CRT Head of Wildlife Monitoring Vince Lea was talking on the BBC from Lark Rise Farm in Cambridgeshire.

The Butterfly Conservation report makes for alarming reading, with a 26% increase in the number of species threatened with extinction. The simple fact is, half of the UK’s butterfly species are now listed as threatened or near threatened. Vince explained to listeners of BBC Radio Cambridgeshire that the reasons for the decline are numerous, and include habitat loss, climate change, pesticide use, and invasive species.

He also pointed out that butterflies are hugely important within the ecosystem, with adult butterflies acting as pollinators, and caterpillars providing an essential part of the food chain – especially for birds.

While the Butterfly Conservation report is grim, there is still hope for the future. With the creation of wildflower meadows all along the stream at Lark Rise Farm, the CRT are doing everything possible to give butterfly species a chance.

“Things can be done. And if we do the right things and change land practices then there absolutely is hope for the future,” explained Vince.

“At Lark Rise Farm, the wildflower meadows, no insecticide use, and sympathetic hedgerow management are all important factors in providing the right conditions to allow many different species of butterfly to thrive.”

You can read more about the Butterfly Conservation report at: https://butterfly-conservation.org/news-and-blog/half-of-british-butterfly-species-on-new-red-list

If you’d like to listen to Vince’s interview on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, then he features approximately one hour and 30 minutes into Jeremy Sallis’ show Grey Matters and it’s available on the BBC website here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_radio_cambridge

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