Butterfly and bird populations are plummeting across the EU, and biodiversity is disappearing along with them

Brussels – In 2024, the population of common bird species in the European Union recorded a 15.1 per cent drop compared with 2000. According to Eurostat, the EU’s statistical office, the number of farmland species (those that thrive in fields, hedgerows, and fields) has fallen by 32.1 per cent. In contrast, forest species, i.e., birds that inhabit wooded environments, have been slowly recovering since 2010. The grassland butterfly index, which monitors the numbers of seventeen species of these insects, shows that the insect population has fallen by 36.5 per cent compared to 2000. 

Eurostat has published its data to mark International Biodiversity Day, which falls on 22 May. Proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2000, the day aims to raise awareness and encourage people to take action and change their lifestyles. This is because the figures are getting worse. As reported by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation), biodiversity is declining faster than ever: three quarters of the Earth’s land area and around 66 per cent of its marine environment have been significantly altered by human activities, one million animal and plant species are now threatened, with extinction, and climate change, pollution, overexploitation, invasive species, and urbanisation are the factors fuelling this crisis. 

On 25 September 2015, the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a global action plan for people, the planet, and prosperity. Among its seventeen goals is Life on land, the fifteenth, which aims to protect, restore, and promote the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems; sustainably manage forests; combat desertification; halt and reverse land degradation; and halt biodiversity loss.  Eurostat regularly assesses the Union’s progress towards these goals. For example, the Common Bird Index and the Grassland Butterfly Index are used to monitor biodiversity. And the data released today show no encouraging signs.