Starting training sessions of butterfly Identification in Bulgaria
The last 19.07.2020, training sessions for butterfly monitoring started in Bulgaria, concretely in the 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐏𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧. Several visitors and park workers enjoyed a butterfly session on how to monitor them. A new 𝑩𝒖𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒍𝒚 𝑴𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑺𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆 is in its way of creation. More knowledge of Eastern butterflies will come soon and for that, we are preparing new material for volunteers of Bulgaria.
You can see the post of the meeting (Bulgarian) https://www.pirin.bg/?p=4238
Thanks to the National Coordinator Zdravko Kolev and Pirin National Park.
July 2020
Newsletter ABLE 2020
Last June the second Newsletter of the ABLE project was released. Discover the recent news from Monitoring Butterflies in Europe with the last Newsletter of our ABLEproject (Assessing ButterfLies in Europe)
This Newsletter includes the growth of eBMS network, volunteers' interviews, new materials, the new ButterflyCount app, and more. You can read it in several formats:
If you would like to receive the new updates of the ABLE project, you can subscribe to the next Newsletters here.
June 2020
EU BIODIVERSITY STRATEGY FOR 2030
On the 20th of May, the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 was finally out! with this Strategy, the EU Commission commits to saving Europe’s wild pollinators.
Butterfly Conservation Europe welcomes the strong commitments in the new EU Biodiversity Strategy, especially the pledge to spend 20bn€ every year and implement the Pollinator Strategy. This could be a major turning point for Europe's wildlife.
Key points:
- Protect 30% of land & seas
- Make 25,000 km more of rivers flee-flowing
- Reduce risk/use of pesticides by 50%
The ABLE project works for the promoting and improvement of one of the best-monitored pollinator, butterflies. We celebrate this Strategy brings nature back into our lives!
You can read the press release of BCE here and the European Commission Press Release
Letter Resolution of the Pollinator Initiative 2019 (signed BCE + 30 NGO's)
Reply Letter from Commissioner Sinkevičius
May 2020
the eBMS App is ready!
You can download and use the new multilingual eBMS app, looking for "ButterflyCount" in AppleStore or App Store for Android.
It was created to do 15-min Count, counting butterfly for 15 minutes anywhere in Europe. The GPS track you route, area or point you search. You can also draw the recorded area. All transects registered on the eBMS website can be also done with the app! Just download it and log-in with your eBMS account.
ButterflyCount has a Picture Guides to help with butterfly identification offline. The app is translated into more than 10 languages and has the latest full list of the different butterfly species found across Europe – around 500 in total. You can record butterflies wherever you want!
To discover more go to eBMS data -> eBMS mobile application and see the new story in CEH
April 2020
Letter Resolution of the Pollinator Initiative 2019
More than 30 expert bodies signed the letter addressed to Mr Timmermans of the EU Commission of the EU Parliament's recent Pollinator Motion. Butterfly Conservation Europe is one of the expert bodies that claim about the importance of supportive Protection Initiatives which halt the decline in bees, hoverflies, moths, butterflies and other insects in the EU.
EU Grassland Butterfly Indicator (updated under the ABLE project) was mentioned as evidence of the real loss of invertebrate biodiversity in the last decades.
You can download the whole letter in this link
January 2020
ABLE Meeting, Butterfly Monitoring Meeting, Laufen 2-4 December
A meeting to discuss the ABLE project will be held at Laufen in Germany from 2-4 December, in association with our partner in Bavaria – ANL. Most of the people co-ordinating schemes are attending and we will run workshop sessions to share information and explain the latest techniques in data analysis. Colleagues from the EU will explain their need for butterfly monitoring as well as how it could help the new EU Pollinator Initiative.
You can download the Final Programme here
Newsletter ABLE 2019
Last October the first Newsletter of ABLE project was produced. In this first release, you can see all the results from one year of work of the ABLE project: how the eBMS network grew in one year, an interview with one of the New Coordinators, access to new monitoring materials for volunteers and more information about the ABLE results.
If you would like to receive the new updates of the ABLE project, you can subscribe for the next Newsletters here.
Material for Volunteers
One of the purposes of the ABLE project is to help coordinators and volunteers to count butterflies easily. For that reason, we were working on producing monitoring material for volunteers and also, helping with the butterfly identification on the field. In the section of ABLE results or in the Butterfly Monitoring Material you can find the different material free to download:
- Manual for Butterfly Transect Counts (in several languages)
- Field Guides for Butterfly identification (from specific areas of Italy)
- Booklet Common Species Portugal Continental
September - A new Butterfly Monitoring Scheme in Austria
In September, we had incredible news, the Austrian BMS was created!! Thanks to the second ABLE workshop about Butterfly Monitoring in Salzburg after discussions and many ideas the Austrian BMS was created with regional coordinators, collaborators in National Parks and National Institutions involved. An incredible step was taken in Austria and many activities are planned for next year to get running many butterfly transects.
Congratulations to our Austrian colleagues for the great job!