Ecuadorian butterfly populations plummet amid climate crisis, alarming scientists

Biologists traversing the trails of the Ecuadorian Amazon hold their breath as they distribute a repugnant treat to entice butterflies, vital pollinators increasingly imperiled by climate change.

A team has set up 32 traps crafted from green nets, each baited with decomposing fish and fermented bananas. They aim to blend in with the forest canopy, but their unmistakable stench betrays their presence.

Since last August, a group of biologists and park rangers has been conducting a butterfly census in the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, renowned for its rich biodiversity.

They capture and document the vibrant insects, releasing most after marking them on their wings for identification. Some specimens, potentially belonging to undiscovered species, are retained for further examination.

However, the findings of the team's efforts have been disheartening.

Butterflies serve as "bioindicators," organisms whose well-being reflects the health of their surrounding ecosystem, and their populations are dwindling, biologist Maria Fernanda Checa told AFP.

While the number of species may have declined by no more than 10 percent, the absolute decrease in butterfly numbers is "very significant... perhaps 40/50 percent," she noted.

"It is something that alarms us."

- Bioindicators -

Under the guidance of expedition leader Elisa Levy, the team inspects the nets for captured butterflies.

They handle the delicate insects by their minute abdomens, carefully manipulating their legs and wings with tweezers.

Some display vibrant hues of red and blue, while others sport patterns resembling zebra stripes. Certain specimens are transparent, resembling glass.

Approximately three-quarters of fruit- or seed-producing crops for human consumption rely on pollinators, offering a service valued in billions of dollars.

The UN has cautioned that 40 percent of invertebrate pollinators, particularly bees and butterflies, face the risk of global extinction, posing inherent dangers to humanity.

Butterflies, Checa explained, are "very sensitive, even to small changes in the ecosystem," throughout their abbreviated life cycle from egg to caterpillar to reproductive adult.

Levy elucidated that tropical plants, unlike those in regions with distinct seasons, are ill-prepared for extreme weather fluctuations.

Should they fail to acclimate to a rapidly changing climate, these plants could perish, along with the butterfly larvae that depend on them for sustenance.

Ecuador, though relatively compact, boasts extraordinary biodiversity, harboring about 4,000 butterfly species -- nearly equivalent to its much larger neighbors, Peru and Colombia.

However, in locales like the Yasuni National Park, adjacent to Cuyabeno, "the rate of species discovery lags behind the rate of extinction," Checa observed.