"Very clear trend" showing "constant decline in butterflies" continued in 2023

The past 12 months was a very bad year for butterflies in the Netherlands, summarized Vlinderstichting. The foundation focused on the improving the survival of butterflies and dragonflies warned that regardless of the fluctuations that may occur from year to year, "a very clear trend" downwards can be seen in the longer term.

"There is a constant decline, and the results in 2023 therefore fit well with that trend," the foundation said. It based its analysis on butterfly counts that have been conducted throughout the country since 1990 using a standardized method.

"This continuous decline cannot be explained by weather conditions, but has to do with the very intensive use of our small land," the Vlinderstichting explained on website Nature Today. This was "one of the very worst" years since the start of measurements.

The fact that butterflies are doing so poorly in the Netherlands can be explained in part by the declining state of nature. In a review of 2023, the organization pointed to several culprits that can have a negative impact on butterflies, including climate change, excessive nitrogen concentrations and crop protection products, like insecticides.

Areas which are a natural environment for the butterflies are becoming increasingly isolated due to habitat fragmentation, Vlinderstichting said.

At the end of the year, the foundation saw the number of observations increase slightly compared to other years. "The fact that 2023 ended positively makes us hope that 2024 will be a somewhat better butterfly year, but there is absolutely no guarantee of this," the organization concluded.