The sixth version of the European Grassland Butterfly Indicator, one of the European Environmental Agency’s biodiversity indicators, has just been released. Compiled by Butterfly Conservation Europe, the indicator is based on 4,500 butterfly monitoring scheme transects (122 of which are from Ireland!) across 22 European countries. Overall, grassland butterfly abundance has declined by 30% from 1990 to 2015. In Ireland, 3 out of 6 our widespread grassland species and 1 out 3 of our grassland specialist species are in decline. At a European level, the rate of loss has slowed in the last 5-10 years, but the priority now is to use this information to halt further losses and focus effort on supporting the conservation and restoration of semi-natural grasslands, and the maintenance of High Nature Value farmland. To all our recorders in the Butterfly Monitoring Scheme, it shows how all your efforts contribute directly to butterfly conservation at a local, national and international levels. Click the image below for the full report.