Lake District butterfly may have to be moved to Scotland

BUTTERFLY species may need to be moved from the Lake District to Scotland as a result of climate change, academics have warned.

Researchers at the University of York have said that the diversity and resilience of cold-loving butterfly species is threatened by global heating which will destroy genetically unique populations.

Native mountain-dwelling butterflies such as the mountain ringlet, the bright-eyed ringlet and the dewy ringlet could have to be moved to higher altitudes to avoid extinction as their cooler habitat disappears.

According to the researchers, this species will have to be evacuated from the Lake District and relocated to higher altitudes further north in Scotland, Scandinavia and the Alps.

Populations of mountain ringlet in the Lake District are among the most diverse in Europe, but face being wiped out by global warming.

The species has already moved 425 to 490 feet uphill in Britain over the past 50 years as a result of climate change, with academics warning that they will eventually “run out of mountain” because there are no cooler, higher altitudes left.

Melissa Minter, of the University of York, who was the lead author of the study, published in Ecology and Evolution, said: “With the genetic diversity of cold-adapted butterflies so at risk in our warming world, conservationists may have to take more controversial steps – such as the relocation of populations – in order to ensure their long-term survival into the future.”

Mike Morecroft, a climate change specialist for Natural England, said: “Climate change is one of the most serious challenges for nature conservation today and good science is essential to developing an effective response.

“Cold-loving species in the uplands are among the most vulnerable species to rising temperatures in England.”