2008 worst year butterfly
Monday, February 23, 2009
The results of the National Monitoring Network Butterflies butterfly reveals the heaters already suspected: 2008 butterfly was the worst year since the start of the study in 1990.
Never was there a few years as butterflies counted. On more than 700 locations in the Netherlands by voluntary field assistants butterflies on a fixed route counted. These counts are only in good weather and made weekly from April to September. Meanwhile, the results of the censuses from 2008 and what most counters had already noticed: it was the worst year ever. Since 1990, per route per year on average 674 butterflies counted in 2008 were only 479. Compared with the peak years 1995 (1022) and 2003 (814), this is all a very low number. Not only rarities like the silver moon (picture right) are difficult, but also many 'ordinary' species are disappearing.
The National Monitoring Network is a collaboration of Butterflies The Butterfly Foundation and CBS, under the Network Ecological Monitoring (NEM), commissioned by the Ministry of LNV (Data Authority Nature).
Number of butterflies per route from 1990 - 2008
Source: National Monitoring Network butterflies (CBS, Data Authority Nature & The Butterfly Foundation)
Monday, February 23, 2009
The results of the National Monitoring Network Butterflies butterfly reveals the heaters already suspected: 2008 butterfly was the worst year since the start of the study in 1990.
Never was there a few years as butterflies counted. On more than 700 locations in the Netherlands by voluntary field assistants butterflies on a fixed route counted. These counts are only in good weather and made weekly from April to September. Meanwhile, the results of the censuses from 2008 and what most counters had already noticed: it was the worst year ever. Since 1990, per route per year on average 674 butterflies counted in 2008 were only 479. Compared with the peak years 1995 (1022) and 2003 (814), this is all a very low number. Not only rarities like the silver moon (picture right) are difficult, but also many 'ordinary' species are disappearing.
The National Monitoring Network is a collaboration of Butterflies The Butterfly Foundation and CBS, under the Network Ecological Monitoring (NEM), commissioned by the Ministry of LNV (Data Authority Nature).
Number of butterflies per route from 1990 - 2008
Source: National Monitoring Network butterflies (CBS, Data Authority Nature & The Butterfly Foundation)
