Grassland butterflies have declined dramatically between
1990 and 2011. This has been caused by intensifying agriculture and a failure
to properly manage grassland ecosystems, according to a report from the
European Environment Agency (EEA).
The fall in grassland butterfly numbers is particularly
worrying, according to the report, because these butterflies are considered to
be representative indicators of trends observed for most other terrestrial
insects, which together form around two thirds of the world’s species. This
means that butterflies are useful indicators of biodiversity and the general
health of ecosystems.