Bugs Matter
| Bugs Matter | |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Insects, Citizen Science, Crowdsourcing |
| Objective | Measuring and raising awareness of decline in insect populations |
| Project coordinator | Buglife, Kent Wildlife Trust |
| Partners | National Museum of Natural History, France |
| Duration | 2019 – |
| Website | Official website |
Bugs Matter is an international citizen science program. It involves photographing a vehicle registration plate after a trip, using the Bugs Matter mobile app, to count the number of insects run over. The idea is to measure the windshield phenomenon attributed to a global decline in insect populations caused by human activity.
Participation
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The protocol can be carried out by anyone, on any type of registered vehicle (car, van, truck, etc.), from April 1st to September 30th. The Bugs Matter app is available for download on Android (Google Play) and iPhone (App Store).
Before a trip, clean the front license plate. Open the Bugs Matter app. During the trip, keep the app and geolocation active. At the end of the trip, take a photo of the license plate with the app. The date, time, and trip details are submitted via the app.[1][2]
History
[edit]In June 2004, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) introduce an innovative tool, the splatometer, a paper grid for counting insect impacts on license plates. The name splatometer is a humorous portmanteau of the English onomatopoeia "splat": the sound an insect makes when it splatters. The program is called the Big Bug Count and attracte 40,000 participants.[3][4]
Fifteen years later, the conservation groups Buglife and Kent Wildlife Trust revive the program in Kent. The study take place from June 1 to August 31, 2019.[5][6] The following year, it can not be conducted due to the COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom.
In 2021, the program is expanded to the entire United Kingdom. The Bugs Matter mobile app is launched. It records the exact route of the vehicle. Paper "splatometers" are permanently phased out in 2023, and become virtual. From 2024, the study period is extended to include April and September.[7][8]
In 2025, the program is expanded to Ireland. More than 10,000 motorists are registered. A study covering the period 2021–2024 reveale that the UK's flying insect population has declined by 63%.[9][10][11] A dashboard for sharing the results is developed.[12]
In April 2026, the protocol is translated and deployed in France by the National Museum of Natural History, France.[13][14][15]
The idea is that license plates are standardized, all have the same size, the same orientation, and are placed at almost the same height.[16][17] The French organisations Noé and OPIE are partners, as well as the French Office for Biodiversity.[18][19]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "Kent's insect-splat rates have decreased by 23 per cent annually since 2021". Great British Life. 2026-02-13. Retrieved 2026-05-04.
- ↑ McKay, Gabriel (2024-04-24). "Splat's all folks: 75 decline in insects on windshields a 'red flag'". The Herald. Retrieved 2026-05-04.
- ↑ Kirby, Alex (2004-09-01). "Scarce insects duck UK splat test". BBC News. Retrieved 2026-05-04.
- ↑ Ball, Lawrence; Still, Robbie; Riggs, Alison; Skilbeck, Alana; Shardlow, Matt; Whitehouse, Andrew; Tinsley-Marshall, Paul (2022). "The Bugs Matter Citizen Science Survey: counting insect 'splats' on vehicle number plates reveals a 58.5% reduction in the abundance of actively flying insects in the UK between 2004 and 2021". Technical Report. doi:10.13140/RG.2.2.29866.49606.
- ↑ "Bugs Matter ~ Take part in our Bugs Matter survey". Buglife. Retrieved 2026-05-04.
- ↑ "Bugs Matter: The international citizen science survey | Kent Wildlife Trust". www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk. Retrieved 2026-05-04.
- ↑ Ashworth, James (6 May 2022). "UK's flying insects have declined by 60% in 20 years | Natural History Museum". Natural History Museum. Retrieved 2026-05-04.
- ↑ Barkham, Patrick (2025-04-30). "'Alarming' bug splat decline on UK cars raises fears for flying insect numbers". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-05-04.
- ↑ "Kent Wildlife Trust's bug survey reveals 'alarming' decline". www.bbc.com. 2025-05-03. Retrieved 2026-05-04.
- ↑ Foucart, Stéphane (30 April 2025). "La rapidité de l'effondrement des populations d'insectes confirmée par une expérience de science participative". Le Monde (in French).
- ↑ "Buglife News ~ Bugs Matter survey shows ongoing decline in UK flying insects". Buglife. Retrieved 2026-05-04.
- ↑ "Bugs Matter Dashboard". webapps.kwtg.uk. Retrieved 2026-05-04.
- ↑ Hsin-Yi, Lo (2026-03-28). "Call out to volunteers in South East to take part in bug survey". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2026-05-04.
- ↑ "Buglife News: Bugs Matter 2026 - Popular UK Insect Survey crosses the Channel". Buglife. Retrieved 2026-05-04.
- ↑ "Les insectes, ça compte ! | Vigie-Nature". www.vigienature.fr (in French). Retrieved 2026-05-04.
- ↑ Catel-Daronnat, Titouan (14 April 2026). "Biodiversité Avec "Bugs matter", les chercheurs comptent sur les bagnoles pour compter les bestioles". Libération (in French).
- ↑ Foucart, Stéphane (13 April 2026). "Mesurer le déclin des insectes en photographiant sa plaque d'immatriculation : une idée "simple et géniale"". Le Monde.
- ↑ "Bugs Matter : les insectes, ça compte ! – Office pour les insectes et leur environnement" (in French). Retrieved 2026-05-04.
- ↑ "Noé lance "Bugs Matter : les insectes ça compte !" pour mesurer le déclin des insectes en France". noe.org. 13 April 2026. Retrieved 2026-05-04.
