Buglife Survey Records 59% Decline in Flying Insects
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- Kent Wildlife Trust and Buglife are running the Bugs Matter survey from Wednesday to 30 September, asking drivers across south-east England to count insects that hit their vehicles during journeys.
- The survey method involves participants counting insect splats on their vehicle number plates after each trip, according to Kent Wildlife Trust.
- Kent Wildlife Trust says the survey has recorded a 'staggering' 59% decline in flying insects from data collected between 2021 and 2025.
- Andrew Whitehouse, head of operations at Buglife, 'strongly encouraged' people in Kent, Surrey, and Sussex to participate, noting the counties sit within one of the UK's richest regions for insect variety.
- The survey has been extended to France, with Rosie Bleet, ecological evidence and citizen science lead at the trust, calling Kent 'the gateway between Britain and the continent' and saying the expansion will provide 'further insights into the plight of our insects.'
- Whitehouse said insects pollinate crops, control pests, decompose waste, recycle nutrients, and support food chains, adding that 'without insects, the planet's ecological systems would collapse.'
Why it matters: The 59% flying insect decline recorded over four years is a citizen-sourced measurement of biodiversity loss in one of the UK's most insect-rich regions. The cross-Channel expansion to France creates a rare opportunity to compare insect trends on either side of the English Channel, potentially distinguishing local environmental pressures from broader continental patterns.
