Director of Conservation makes statement on UK 'Butterfly Emergency'

Dr Rebecca Biddle, Twycross Zoo's Director of Conservation & Vice Chair of EAZA, said:

"At Twycross Zoo, we are in complete agreement with Butterfly Conservation's call for the government to declare a Nature Emergency and to ban neonicotinoid pesticides. 

As a conservation charity, we have strong commitments to preserving and protecting endangered species, including those right here on our doorstep. Over the last three years, we have been actively contributing to this important national database with an official butterfly transect located on our on-site Nature Reserve. 

Our Nature Reserve is a haven for butterflies. In its first year it ranked as the 4th most species-abundant transect in Leicestershire. Unfortunately, though, this year we have also seen evidence of butterfly populations declining, this year we did not record Essex skipper, large skipper, small copper, or holly blues. All of which were present in 2023.

Overall, in our Nature Reserve we have seen a decline of more than 60% in the number of butterflies recorded in 2024, compared to 2023, an alarming figure, given that butterflies are valuable indicator species for larger ecological change.

I am lucky enough to have seen all the Great British butterflies — a milestone that has taken four years to complete due to challenges such as location, fragmented habitats, and weather conditions, all making it harder and harder to see all our butterfly species – a challenge that is likely to become even more difficult to achieve.

With butterfly populations becoming depleted, some species now only exist in the UK due to reintroduction efforts.

 We're deeply saddened to hear that this year's data shows record lows for butterflies and will continue to support the Butterfly Conservation in its efforts to preserve these incredible animals, and we urge our supporters to do the same."