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Butterfly monitoring scheme

​​Butterfly monitoring scheme

At least 49 species of butterflies have been recorded in Jersey. Around 26 of these can be expected to be encountered every year.

In 2004 the States of Jersey Environment Division launched the Jersey Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (JBMS). The scheme forms part of the integrated monitoring programme for Jersey. It's financed by the government but it's almost entirely based on volunteer recorders, making it highly cost-effective.

The JBMS uses the same methodology used in the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme. It has benefited greatly from close collaboration with Butterfly Conservation (BC) and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH).

Report on Jersey Butterfly Monitoring Scheme 2004 to 2013​

Volunteer information

Volunteers carrying out the JBMS commit to walking a certain route every week from 1 April to 30 September.

Many of our volunteers continue surveying year after year and some have been monitoring since 2004.

Existing volunteers can find the forms they need below. You can find printed forms, nets, thermometers and any guidance relating from the survey by contacting the survey co-ordinator or by emailing wildaboutjersey@gov.je.

Butterfly recording form 10 sections

Butterfly recording form 14 sections

Butterfly volunteer working agreement

The survey week runs from the first of the month. For 2024 survey week runs Monday to Sunday, starting on Monday 1 April.

Primary goals

The primary goals of the scheme are to:

  • provide information at local levels on changes in the abundance of butterfly species
  • detect trends which may indicate changes in their status
  • provide a reliable long-term reference against which population changes in species studied elsewhere on individual sites, or in other countries, can be monitored
  • monitor changes at individual sites
  • assess the impact of local factors such as habitat change caused by management
  • provide information on aspects of the population ecology and phenology of individual species, both in relation to the effect of environmental changes (including climate change) and as a contribution to butterfly ecology​

Get involved

If you would like more details about our monitoring schemes or would like to become a volunteer email wildaboutjersey@gov.je​.

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