Ecuador: Climate change threatening local butterflies, and therefore humans too

The Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve in the Ecuadorian Amazon jungle is known for its rich flora and fauna. Since August last year, a team of biologists and rangers has been monitoring the butterfly population in the park. This is because butterflies are so-called bioindicators. The term describes living organisms whose well-being provides a measure of the health of their surrounding ecosystem.

A butterfly has been attracted by a bait consisting of rotting fish and fermented bananas — the foul-smelling mixture is a delicacy for the insects. This enables the researchers to catch the insects with nets.

Led by expedition leader Elisa Levy (right), the team examines the captured butterflies. The researchers carefully hold the insects by their tiny abdomens with tweezers and label their wings. After documentation, most of the butterflies are allowed to flutter away again.

The researchers are studying a wide range of butterflies. Some are bright red and blue, while the pattern on this specimen resembles zebra stripes. Other butterflies are as transparent as glass. Ecuador, a relatively small but extremely species-rich country, is home to around 4,000 butterfly species.

Levy told the news agency AFP that tropical plants — unlike plants in regions with distinct seasons — are not accustomed to extreme weather fluctuations. If they fail to adapt to a rapidly changing climate, these plants could die out, along with butterfly larvae like this one that feed on them.

And that is exactly what is already happening, as the researchers' work shows: Although the number of species in the Cuyabeno has only decreased by 10%, the absolute number of butterflies has decreased by 40 to 50%.

Biologist Maria Fernanda Checa from the Catholic University in Quito described the decline to AFP as "very significant." According to the biologist, butterflies react very sensitively to even small changes in the ecosystem during their short lifespan from egg to caterpillar to adult. "The decline is something that alarms us," Checa said.

In some parts of the Amazon region, "the rate of species discovery is slower than the rate of extinction," says Checa. The UN has warned that 40% of invertebrate pollinators — particularly bees and butterflies — risk global extinction, posing certain risks to humanity itself, as three quarters of fruit and seed crops are dependent on pollinators.