Butterfly numbers fall by 84% in Netherlands over 130 years – study

European insect populations shrink as farming leaves 'hardly any room for nature'

Butterflies have declined by at least 84% in the Netherlands over the last 130 years, according to a study, confirming the crisis affecting insect populations in western Europe.

Researchers analysed 120,000 butterflies caught by collectors between 1890 and 1980 as well as more recent scientific data from more than 2 million sightings to identify dramatic declines in the country's 71 native butterfly species, 15 of which have become extinct over the last century.