A comprehensive study has unveiled that butterfly populations in the continental U.S. have declined by 22% since 2000, averaging a loss of 1.3% per year. Significant declines were noted in 114 species, while only nine species have seen increases. Factors like insecticides, climate change, and habitat loss contribute to this trend. With a dramatic drop in monarch butterflies, the findings emphasize a troubling loss of biodiversity, calling for urgent action to address the various threats to these essential pollinators.
"Butterflies have been declining the last 20 years," said study co-author Nick Haddad, an entomologist at Michigan State University. "And we don't see any sign that that's going to end."
David Wagner, a University of Connecticut entomologist who wasn't part of the study, praised its scope and noted, "In just 30 or 40 years we are talking about losing half the butterflies (and other insect life) over a continent!"
The first countrywide systematic analysis of butterfly abundance found that the number of butterflies in the Lower 48 states has been falling on average 1.3% a year since the turn of the century.
The study reveals that many species in decline fell by 40% or more, highlighting a concerning trend in biodiversity loss in the U.S.
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