Declines in Common, Widespread Butterflies in a Landscape under Intense Human Use

We analyzed 16 years (1992–2007) of butterfly transect count data from The Netherlands in a reevaluation of the trends of common, widespread species. Fifty-five percent (11 of 20 species) of these species suffered severe declines in distribution and abundance. Overall, cumulative butterfly abundance declined by around 30%. Butterflies in farmland, urban, and particularly woodland areas showed the largest decline in species abundance.

Source:
HANS VAN DYCK, ARCO J. VAN STRIEN, DIRK MAES, CHRIS A. M. VAN SWAAY
Conservation Biology, Volume 23, Issue 4, pages 957–965, August 2009
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2009.01175.x/full