Butterfly species decline dramatically in Germany

Of the 117 butterfly species recorded in 1840 in the survey site, a protected habitat in the south-German state of Bavaria, just 71 are still found today, said the authors of the study recently published in the journal Conservation Biology. "Species requiring a specific type of habitat or food source, such as the "elegant white and ochre-spotted" hermit butterfly, are threatened with extinction in Germany. Extinction rates over the last 30 years are "particularly alarming," says the study. A United Nations' study published February found that in Europe 31 percent of butterfly species were in decline, alongside other pollinators, posing a threat to world food production.
Source: Deutsche Welle, July 2016
http://www.dw.com/en/global-ideas-butterflies-decline-germany/a-19151943