Fluttering tool that measures the health of our countryside

Monday 10 March 2014

The results of a survey on Jersey’s butterflies is key to monitoring the overall health of Jersey’s ecosystems says the Environment department.

Volunteers have been collating information and doing a weekly count at 36 different locations around the Island as part of the Jersey Butterfly Monitoring Scheme. The Environment department say measuring the abundance and diversity of butterflies can be a good guide to the general health of the Island’s many natural and managed habitats.

They have been doing a ten year study to deduce long-term trends in the population. 

Natural Environment Officer, Dr Paul Chambers, who manages the information, commented: “Ten years of data gives us enough information to start to compare trends, so this is a significant and welcome milestone. None of this would have been possible without the dedicated team of volunteers who monitor and record butterfly information for us every year. The information they collect is a crucial tool in monitoring the overall health of Jersey’s ecosystems.”

The state of the population and whether any species are declining or increasing will be revealed at a seminar at Durrell Conservation Academy on Saturday 15 March. Butterfly expert Dr Susan Clarke will be doing a talk at the event called ‘Caterpillars – How not to get eaten’.