Grassland butterflies have declined by 50% between 1990 and 2011, according to a recent publication of the European Environment Agency.
This has been caused by intensifying agriculture and a failure to properly manage grassland ecosystems, The main driver behind the decline of grassland butterflies is the change in rural land use: agricultural intensification where the land is relatively flat and easy to cultivate, and abandonment in mountains and wet areas, mainly in eastern and southern Europe.
Butterflies offer the possibility to be used as a structural headline indicator, not only for grasslands but also for other habitats, and to track other pressures such as climate change.
http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/the-european-grassland-butterfly-indicator-19902011
(27/07/2013)