Citizen science: participate in the conservation of butterflies on WhatsApp!

From species animals known to date, more than 40,000 are threatened with extinction according to theInternational Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). On the red list ofIUCN which lists the known species and in danger of extinction, are for example 13% of birds, 26% of mammals, 37% of sharks and rays and 41% of amphibians.

These precious data are available thanks to a meticulous inventory of individuals present in several places. Within the Lepidoptera, which are commonly called butterflies, theIUCN lists 93 species whose status in the wild remains to be identified (status “Insufficient Data” or DD for Data Deficient) due to insufficient data. Among these species are for example the species living in Algeria and Morocco Plebejus martini and Euphydryas maturna who lives in several European countries as well as in Kazakhstan and Russia.

The World Sustainability Organization is a non-governmental organization whose objective is to protect endangered species and habitats on a global scale. To this end, it has set up a system of certificate which certifies the sustainable nature of products from agriculture and livestock; it also allowed the backup of millions of dolphins, victims of fishing nets, by launching a campaign for the sustainable exploitation of products from the sea. It leads this operation to protect species through certifications Friend of the Sea (meaning Friend of the Sea) and Friend of the Earth (Friend of the Earth).

According to the information relayed on the site of Friend of the Earth, most species of butterflies known day and night birds in the world are in danger of extinction, and half of the populations have experienced a decline of 50% over the past decade.

A phone and a photograph

One of the main threats to species is the disappearance of their habitat. However, how is it possible to preserve this habitat when its characteristics and the location of butterfly populations are very little known? To overcome this lack of data, Friend of the Earth launched a campaign to identify butterflies in the world. It allows everyone to contribute to the knowledge of the species of this group by collecting data that will allow the implementation of protective measures.

In order to participate in this world census, all you have to do is take a photography from butterflies that everyone observes and to be close enough to the insect to allow its identification, but at a reasonable distance so as not to disturb it. You must then send the photograph byapplication WhatsApp (+39 351 252 2520) specifying the contact details GPS of the shot. Friend of the Earth will send in return the identification of the photographed species and will add this observation to its database. A hero of the Butterflies will be designated on the social networks each month for providing the most photographs!