
The scheme has monitored changes in the abundance of butterflies throughout the
United Kingdom since 1976. Over the 32 years of the scheme, recorders have made
over 170,000 weekly visits to 1500 separate sites, walking over 375,000 km and counting
over 12.5 million butterflies!
The UKBMS is based on a well-established and enjoyable recording method and has produced important insights into almost all aspects of butterfly ecology.
A new publication, "The State of Butterflies in Britain and Ireland", was launched on May 15th. This book is a follow-up to the hugely successful Butterflies for the New Millenium atlas, and is available to purchase from the publishers, Nature Bureau (price: £14.50 inc. p&p)
2009 National Butterfly Recorders' Meeting Full programme now online.
2007 Annual Report now available to download (5.7 MB, PDF)
A new publication, "The
State of Butterflies in Britain and Ireland", was launched
on May 15th. This book is a follow-up to the hugely successful Butterflies for the New Millenium atlas,
and is available to purchase from the publishers, Nature Bureau (price: £14.50 inc.
p&p)
The UKBMS is run as a partnership between the
Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH), Butterfly Conservation (BC)
and the Joint Nature Conservation
Committee (JNCC).
Between 2005 and 2008, the scheme is undergoing major re-development and expansion through funding by a multi-agency consortium led by Defra, and including the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW), Natural England (NE), Environment and Heritage Service (EHS), Forestry Commission (FC), Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department (SEERAD), and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH).