Background
Butterfly monitoring in Israel
Dr. Guy Pe’er of the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) has been publicising the idea in his home country, Israel. As insects have not been protected before in Israel, the protection of 14 species of rare butterflies on 30 April 2009 has been a major coup.
Mating couple of Apharitis cilissa - an endemic species to the Levant and a rare butterfly in
Israel (with less than 10 known populations), whose most important populations occur in the most heavily populated region of
Israel - the coastal plains. A detailed research on the species led to changes in urban development to protect the species.
It belongs to the newly protected, rare species in Israel.
Photo: Guy Pe´er/UFZ
Demonstration for the saving of the habitat of Tomares nesimachu near Tzfat (Safed) in the North of Israel
Photo: Guy Pe´er/UFZ
The Israeli Lepidopterologists Society hopes that this step will broaden public awareness of the protection of butterflies and consequently boost participation in the planned butterfly monitoring scheme. "We are not only concerned with the protection of butterflies but also, and in particular, with protecting Israel’s ever-diminishing natural landscapes - for the benefit of both humans and animals," explains Dr. Pe’er. The monitoring scheme is particularly important for studying the impacts of climate change both on butterflies and on fauna general. This is because Israel encompasses a sharp climatic gradient - with average rainfall ranging from over 1000 mm in the north to less than 30 mm in the south - and thus it serves as a major source of migratory butterflies and seasonal range-shifts in response to climatic triggers.
Additionally, with the East African Rift Valley crossing Israel, it is an important migratory route not only for birds but also for a variety of butterflies. The monitoring scheme in Israel has therefore importance not only for nature conservation in Israel but also potentially worldwide for identifying links between range-shifts, migrations, and climate.
