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Addressing Gaps in Butterfly Population Monitoring to Catalyze Global Insect Conservation

Riva, F. ; Schmucki, R. ; Cooke, R. ; Balalaikins, M. ; Barea-Azcón, J. M. ; Basu, D. N. ; Böhm, M. ; Bonebrake, T. C. ; Chowdhury, S. and Comray, O. , et al. (2026) In Conservation Letters 19(2).
Abstract

The conservation community sorely lacks a global indicator of change in insect populations. Given widespread insect declines, addressing this gap is key for conservation and policy targets. We suggest that butterfly monitoring programs can serve as the foundation for an effective global network of insect monitoring. To assess this potential, we bring together an international consortium and calculate a “Global Butterfly Index” using the Living Planet Index approach. Based on 10,386 population trends of 213 univoltine species, we found that overall declines in butterfly populations are predictable based on species traits. Our effort should pave the way for the development of a global network of butterfly population monitoring schemes.... (More)

The conservation community sorely lacks a global indicator of change in insect populations. Given widespread insect declines, addressing this gap is key for conservation and policy targets. We suggest that butterfly monitoring programs can serve as the foundation for an effective global network of insect monitoring. To assess this potential, we bring together an international consortium and calculate a “Global Butterfly Index” using the Living Planet Index approach. Based on 10,386 population trends of 213 univoltine species, we found that overall declines in butterfly populations are predictable based on species traits. Our effort should pave the way for the development of a global network of butterfly population monitoring schemes. Since butterflies are the best monitored insects and have strong emotional value for the public, a global infrastructure for butterfly monitoring can be a flagship for insect conservation, informing policymaking and spurring societal transitions towards sustainable futures.

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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
biodiversity, butterfly, indicator, insect declines, Living Planet Index, monitoring
in
Conservation Letters
volume
19
issue
2
article number
e70037
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • scopus:105035605644
ISSN
1755-263X
DOI
10.1111/con4.70037
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © 2026 The Author(s). Conservation Letters published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
id
fef3aa2c-439c-4515-934b-e18b267a897d
date added to LUP
2026-04-23 12:00:01
date last changed
2026-05-21 13:46:52
@misc{fef3aa2c-439c-4515-934b-e18b267a897d,
  abstract     = {{<p>The conservation community sorely lacks a global indicator of change in insect populations. Given widespread insect declines, addressing this gap is key for conservation and policy targets. We suggest that butterfly monitoring programs can serve as the foundation for an effective global network of insect monitoring. To assess this potential, we bring together an international consortium and calculate a “Global Butterfly Index” using the Living Planet Index approach. Based on 10,386 population trends of 213 univoltine species, we found that overall declines in butterfly populations are predictable based on species traits. Our effort should pave the way for the development of a global network of butterfly population monitoring schemes. Since butterflies are the best monitored insects and have strong emotional value for the public, a global infrastructure for butterfly monitoring can be a flagship for insect conservation, informing policymaking and spurring societal transitions towards sustainable futures.</p>}},
  author       = {{Riva, F. and Schmucki, R. and Cooke, R. and Balalaikins, M. and Barea-Azcón, J. M. and Basu, D. N. and Böhm, M. and Bonebrake, T. C. and Chowdhury, S. and Comray, O. and Debrot, A. O. and Dolezal, A. J. and Dyer, E. E. and Fontaine, B. and Fric, Z. F. and Girotra, R. and Isaac, N. J.B. and Nagesh, K. R. and Kühn, E. and Kunte, K. and Kutt, A. S. and Kuussaari, M. and Larivee, M. and Legall, N. and Lien, V. V. and Madden, H. M. and Maes, D. and McGaffin, S. P. and McRae, L. and Mestdagh, X. and Munguira, M. L. and Musche, M. and Mynott, H. I. and Nawge, V. and Peer, G. and Pettersson, L. B. and Pippen, J. and Reis, L. and Roth, T. and Šašić, M. and Settele, J. and Sevilleja, C. and Sheikh, S. and Sielezniew, M. and Solis, R. and Stefanescu, C. and Titeux, N. and Tzirkalli, E. and Ubach, A. and van Swaay, C. A.M. and Walker, A. and Woodcock, B. A. and Roy, David B.}},
  issn         = {{1755-263X}},
  keywords     = {{biodiversity; butterfly; indicator; insect declines; Living Planet Index; monitoring}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{03}},
  number       = {{2}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Conservation Letters}},
  title        = {{Addressing Gaps in Butterfly Population Monitoring to Catalyze Global Insect Conservation}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/con4.70037}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/con4.70037}},
  volume       = {{19}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}