Openreach fleet joins insect biodiversity survey

The nation’s second largest commercial van fleet, Openreach, has signed up to the 2024 Bugs Matter survey.

The study is organised by conservation charity Buglife and Kent Wildlife Trust to raise awareness of insect conservation.

It encourages participants to measure insect splats, the number of dead insects on vehicle number plates, as a sign of insect abundance.

With a fleet of 29,000 vehicles which covers more than four million miles every year, Openreach has the potential to make a huge difference to the survey, which runs until September 30, and is aiming to double last year’s input data by recording 4,000 Openreach journeys alone.

It is hoped that this commitment, from one of the nation's largest fleets, will inspire other businesses and organisations to get involved with the survey.

Andrew Whale, chief engineer for Openreach, said: “Using our fleet and our engineers on the ground to support this important piece of citizen science is simply the right thing to do, and an easy one for everybody to take action for nature; we can all get involved, it's very simple to do and we are proud to support one of our partners in improving this critical data.”

The Bugs Matter study has been conducted on an annual basis since 2001, based on a reference survey by the RSPB in 2004.  

Analysis of records from nearly 26,500 UK journeys over this period shows a continuing decrease in insect numbers, with the number of insect splats nationwide in 2023, 78% lower than that of 2004.

By logging their 4000 journeys, Openreach will help expand this dataset significantly and generate even more crucial data on flying insect populations across the UK.

Paul Hetherington, director of fundraising and communications at Buglife, said: “Insects are vital for sustaining healthy ecosystems and biodiversity, but many species are declining at an alarming rate due to habitat loss, pollution, and other threats.

“We're thrilled that Openreach is using their vast operational reach to amplify the Bugs Matter message. Their mobilisation for this cause throws down the gauntlet for other major fleets to get onboard as well."