What is butterfly monitoring? Who is counting? How and why?
Question: How do you know when someone is sick?
Count how many degrees the thermometer shows.
And how do you know that the nature around us is sick?
Count butterflies, because they are nature's thermometer!
sensitive to changes
An unhealthy situation is the result of a change, and in order to prevent further deterioration, it is necessary to first identify it and as early as possible. For this we need a means or a measuring tool that is sensitive to changes, quick to respond and clearly identifiable. This means is called an indicator, a marker.
Butterflies as an ecological marker
In the distant past, coal miners used to descend into the mines with canary cages, in order to serve as an indicator to warn of the presence of odorless toxic gases that filled many cavities. If the canary showed signs of distress or died, it was a clear indication and a sign to the miners to flee for their lives.
The butterflies are an ideal biological marker, an ecological indicator, because they are completely dependent on the vegetation and are therefore very sensitive and react quickly and prominently to changes in the state of the vegetation and environmental conditions.
It is very easy to identify the presence or absence of the butterfly species and even count them.
There are about 150 species in our country, but hey, we also learn to recognize our neighbors, even from a distance (with time).
So what is monitoring and how do you count butterflies?
Monitoring = systematic counting (or sampling), which repeats itself at regular intervals.
Only with the help of a recount can you track and identify changes. In butterfly monitoring we repeat and monitor at each monitoring site the number of species (richness) and the amount of individuals of each species (abundance).
Monitoring is done according to a fixed pattern called a protocol. Its purpose is to ensure that the counting results are, as much as possible, independent of the monitor. Only in this way will it be possible to compare observation data from consecutive years of monitoring, from all monitoring sites, and combine them for a unified analysis.
The protocol simply defines two issues:
- The required list of data (such as the name of the butterfly, the number of individuals of each species observed and location and time data).
- The way of counting (such as the walking pace and the viewing radius of the passing butterflies).
For example: in a fixed route monitoring protocol, each monitor has a personal route of approximately 800 m. The counting is done twice a month, lasts about half an hour, walking slowly while watching the butterflies up to a distance not exceeding 5 meters from the viewer. Count how many individuals were observed of each species.
About 200 monitoring routes are scanned every month, all year round from Dan to Eilat.
What do researchers learn from butterfly monitoring data?
The lifestyles of the world of butterflies have been studied for many years and are known at such a detailed scientific level, which has resulted in the development of unique models and an abundance of research methods for analyzing the state of nature, with the help of information gathered from monitoring observation data.
There is valuable scientific material in the data, and its value is strengthened as the number of years of monitoring increases. An in-depth analysis of the data is required, from which it is possible to identify and understand the changes that are taking place and their causes, in order to try to act to protect biological diversity and the quality of our environment.
The abundant information from the monitoring observations deepens and updates distribution maps of each species, flight periods, life cycles, habitats, nectar sources and egg hosts, enemies, defense strategies, migrations, environmental conditions. All these and more are interconnected and affected by the climate crisis.
Thanks to the research tools and the research models for analysis, we have the tools to go deep, analyze, understand and identify changes, locate threats of extinction and their causes.
The butterfly lovers for the help of science in the protection of the environment
The global struggle for the protection of nature is intensifying in the face of the shortening time in the face of climate crises, pollution and human damage to biological diversity. So what does science need to help face the challenge? Data, data and more data.
Observation data, counting anywhere, at any time and season. But research budgets and personnel and time are always in short supply and many and expensive sources of information are required.
And as always, the rescue comes from the concerned citizens.
In every spring painting you will find a lovable butterfly
Thanks to the fact that butterflies are attractive, interesting and beautiful, hundreds of projects by nature lovers for the systematic counting (monitoring) of butterflies have been expanding all over the world. Hundreds of thousands of Teva loyalists report continuously, every day, all year round and from anywhere to the observation databases.
This activity, by loyalists and nature lovers, to collect scientific information (and not only about butterflies) has become a world-wide movement that has earned the nickname "Citizen science"And hundreds of thousands of volunteers around the world participate in it. The amount of data received has become a tremendous asset that required a radical change in the concept of managing the quality of the scientific information received from volunteers, to which I will devote an article in the future.
The Butterfly Mentri communities in Israel
"National butterfly monitoring programIt is now the largest citizen science project in Israel. We started in 2009, right after the declaration of 14 species of butterflies as protected by law. Since then, hundreds of volunteers from all over the country have joined it, most of them in the framework of Butterflies watch communities (about 15 communities today) in regional and local councils and in many cities But not yet in Haifa, to our clothing.
The monitoring communities are enthusiastic, knowledge-hungry and active groups that share experiences, identification questions, photographs, butterfly tours and, of course, are constantly focused on documenting butterfly sightings. The monitors have a wealth of information at their disposal from the observation portal and from the apps and Facebook sites related to the project and butterflies in general.
The communities are managed by a local coordinator and staff and are guided by the best butterfly experts, reinforced by researchers and people from related fields of information and science such as botany and ecology, as well as experienced and knowledgeable nature photographers.
Israel's butterfly monitoring observation database
Versatile technology in every pocket
In the small pocket of everyone who goes out to watch or monitor is a multi-capable technology in the form of a mobile device that allows the use of incredibly smart applications for reporting, control and learning alike, without the need for prior knowledge or manual typing on the part of the user.
The three apps I developed serve the reports of all the monitors in all our monitoring methods and all the data flows to Butterfly monitoring observation portal/database that I founded, developed and manage for a national butterfly monitoring program.
The use of sophisticated information systems and the quality management measures integrated into the applications enables documentation in a way that frees the volunteers to enjoy watching butterflies and helps with the challenge of correctly identifying the butterfly species.
Who is the information learned from the butterfly monitoring program intended for?
Studies on the state of nature lead to drawing conclusions and formulating recommendations on courses of action.
Those who trust the implementation are the "decision makers" in government bodies responsible for preserving the environment and nature. The decision makers need scientifically based proofs and we provide them.
Defining butterflies as protected by law obligates these bodies to work to reduce the threats to their existence.
Monitoring as citizen science is in practice The empowerment of our power, the citizens, to influence the quality of our lives.
