Warning: UK nature chief warns of ecosystem collapse as butterfly populations halve | Conservation

The UK's butterfly population decline is a warning from nature about the resilience of the country's ecosystems, says the country's nature chief, as concerns grow that global warming could threaten the nation's food security.

Tony Juniper, chief executive of Natural England, said new data showing the sharp decline in butterfly populations this summer was likely the result of habitat loss and pesticide use, which made the insects less resilient to extreme weather events such as heatwaves and wet spells caused by global warming.

Figures from the Butterfly Conservation Society this week show the number of butterflies observed has almost halved to 935,000, the lowest figure in the 14-year history of the UK survey. Species including the common blue, little tortoiseshell and scorched argus have recorded their lowest numbers on record, according to the data.

A common blue butterfly (Polyommatus icarus) forages in a wildflower meadow. New data suggests that butterfly populations have declined dramatically. Photograph: Alan Mather/Alamy

Juniper says the 2024 butterfly data is an early sign of what’s to come. It’s a warning from nature about how far we’ve come in stripping the natural world of its resilience. Of course, this ultimately comes back to people in terms of food security and other factors that depend on the web of life still functioning.

We see a case for a modernised version of the national park that is more about people, about nature recovery and perhaps more connected to the edge of urban areas. Tony Juniper, Chair of Natural England

I hope that the disappearance of butterflies this year will make people think about how to grow food plants for larvae and flowers for adults in their gardens. I also hope that the decline of insects will make people think about bigger questions related to climate change and the agricultural practices we have become accustomed to eating.

Juniper said the UK must do more to improve the resilience of its ecosystems to climate change, and pointed to the UK’s national parks and new housing plans as opportunities to invest in nature. A recent Guardian analysis warned that the UK’s national parks are in poor condition and are undermining nature.

Speaking ahead of Cop16, the biodiversity conference in Colombia next month, the UK’s chief conservation officer welcomed the commitments from senior government ministers to international leadership on the climate and nature crises in what will be the first time the new Labour government has stepped onto the global stage on environmental issues, and stressed the importance of the UK’s credibility in taking action at home.

He said he was delighted to hear that there was now a voice that Britain wanted to lead on the world stage. Given the scale of the work we are doing now to prevent mass extinction and to avert the effects of global warming, he said, this could not be more welcome. Focusing on what we can offer at home will always be an important part of what we can bring to the international discussion.

The UN Convention on Biological Diversity's key goal of protecting 30 per cent of the UK as nature over the next decade doesn't necessarily require new national parks, but the country needs a mosaic of diverse protected habitats, says Juniper. He says the new government's housing plan is a huge opportunity to invest in the UK's wildlife habitats, particularly around cities.

National parks were designated for beauty, not wildlife, he says. That’s not to diminish what they have done. They have done a tremendous amount of good, but now we need to take a step further to help nature recover.

Restore Nature Now protest by Extinction Rebellion in London, 22 June 2024. Photo: Guy Bell/Alamy

Campaigners are calling for a complete overhaul of how the UK’s national parks are managed after a Guardian investigation found the board that oversees them is male-dominated and severely lacking in diversity, with farmers outnumbering conservationists by two to one. Juniper says reformed national parks could help reverse biodiversity loss.

He says even if more landscape designations are made, they won’t necessarily help us reach the 30% target unless they include a stronger biodiversity component. In Natural England, we see a case for a modernised version of the national park that is much more human-centred, with a focus on nature restoration and perhaps more connected to the edge of urban areas.

It is about people developing a future command of nature by having a personal relationship with nature. If most of us live in urban areas without natural areas, that public command will disappear over time.

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