Global butterfly range shifts from climate change

A global study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution analyzed 6,182 range-shift records for 1,758 butterfly species (about 10% of known species) across 105 countries. It found that 80% of species expanded their ranges, 27% contracted, and 22% shifted elevation, with 79% of shifts linked to climate change and extreme weather. Horizontal expansions occurred on every continent, contractions were more common in temperate regions, and elevational shifts were mostly in the Northern Hemisphere. The study, led by researchers from Monash University, the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), University of Jena, and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, combined English and non-English literature with 68 expert assessments. It highlighted significant monitoring gaps, especially in Central African Republic, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and the Amazon basin, and called for equitable, standardized, multilingual monitoring to guide conservation.