Climate Change Poses Threat to Greece's Butterfly Population

In a zoo just outside Athens, colourful butterflies feed on sweet orange slices in the safety of a controlled enclosure, sheltered from the climate changes threatening their survival in the wild.

Warmer temperatures, shortened flowering seasons, and scarcer food sources are making life increasingly difficult for Greece’s butterfly species.

Greece is home to 237 species of butterflies, but scientists are concerned that rising global temperatures may be shrinking their populations—and even their physical size. This alarming trend mirrors global concerns, with butterfly numbers declining sharply in other countries such as Mexico and Britain.

“Climate change is impacting butterflies that depend on temperature for essential activities like mating, reproduction, growth, and feeding,” said agronomist Konstantinos Anagnostellis. Anagnostellis is part of a research project called MEIOSIS, led by the University of Ioannina. This project studies over a century’s worth of butterfly specimens—more than 50,000 in total—to track shrinking body sizes due to climate change.

As temperatures rise, butterflies are forced to migrate to cooler areas, where food is often scarce. In Greece, the situation is worsened by increasingly frequent wildfires, which destroy the grasslands that many butterfly species rely on for food. Anagnostellis warns that the loss of these habitats could have devastating consequences: “If these plants are burned, there’s a risk the larvae won’t survive, and without adult butterflies to reproduce, they may be forced to migrate to other areas.”

Experts fear that without urgent action to combat climate change, Greece's butterflies—and many other species worldwide—could face a bleak future.

(Source: Reuters)