Description
This survey dataset contains occurrence data on butterflies observed and counted along transects within the Zwin Nature Park (ZNP) at Knokke-Heist in West Flanders, Belgium. The data were collected since 2023, during spring and summer, in the ZNP’s provincial domain. This area is situated in a coastal dune zone between the ‘Zwin Plain’ and ‘Zwin dunes and polders’. All these Zwin subareas are situated within the European Natura 2000 network.
This dataset is published as a standardised Darwin Core Archive and includes for each sampling event a parentEventID, grouping eventIDs per season, the sampling protocol, with sample size and unit, the country code, longitude and latitude with geodetic datum and coordinate uncertainty (in the event core), and for each occurrence, an occurrenceID, the scientific name, Dutch vernacular name, taxon rank, occurrence status (absent or present), the number of recorded individuals, and the identifiedBy term for the field observer’s name (in the occurrence extension).
We have released this dataset to the public domain under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY 4.0) implying that users of data make proper reference to this dataset.
Data Records
The data in this sampling event resource has been published as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A), which is a standardized format for sharing biodiversity data as a set of one or more data tables. The core data table contains 160 records.
1 extension data tables also exist. An extension record supplies extra information about a core record. The number of records in each extension data table is illustrated below.
This IPT archives the data and thus serves as the data repository. The data and resource metadata are available for download in the downloads section. The versions table lists other versions of the resource that have been made publicly available and allows tracking changes made to the resource over time.
Versions
The table below shows only published versions of the resource that are publicly accessible.
How to cite
Researchers should cite this work as follows:
Faveyts W, Cooleman S (2025). Butterfly transect counts at the Zwin Nature Park. Version 1.1. Belgian Biodiversity Platform. Samplingevent dataset. https://ipt.biodiversity.be/resource?r=zwin-park-butterflies-observations&v=1.1
Rights
Researchers should respect the following rights statement:
The publisher and rights holder of this work is Belgian Biodiversity Platform. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY 4.0) License.
GBIF Registration
This resource has been registered with GBIF, and assigned the following GBIF UUID: c46d695c-bc44-439c-8645-cb04ef4cfe5d. Belgian Biodiversity Platform publishes this resource, and is itself registered in GBIF as a data publisher endorsed by Belgian Biodiversity Platform.
Keywords
Samplingevent; Observation; Butterflies; monitoring
Contacts
- Metadata Provider ●
- Originator ●
- Point Of Contact
- Scientific collaborator
- Metadata Provider
- Biodiversity Data Officer
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3029-0451
Geographic Coverage
The provincial domain of the Zwin Nature Park (ZNP) is located in the northernmost corner of West Flanders along the Belgian coastline fronting the North Sea. The adjacent Zwin Plain includes the border with the Netherlands.
| Bounding Coordinates | South West [51.358, 3.344], North East [51.361, 3.353] |
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Taxonomic Coverage
This dataset covers 20 species and one species aggregate: all the butterflies, that have been seen at transect counts in the ZNP’s provincial domain since May 2023, are included.
| Order | Lepidoptera |
|---|---|
| Superfamily | Papilionoidea (Butterflies (Dagvlinders)) |
| Family | Nymphalidae (Brush-footed butterflies (Schoenlappers, parelmoervlinders en zandoogjes)), Lycaenidae (Gossamer-winged butterflies (Blauwtjes, kleine pages en vuurvlinders)), Hesperiidae (Skippers (Dikkopjes)), Pieridae (Whites (Witjes)) |
Temporal Coverage
| Start Date / End Date | 2023-05-03 / 2024-09-23 |
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Sampling Methods
A standardised observation protocol: counting all individuals of all butterfly species seen along the transects. Crucially, even when butterflies are absent, these 'zero' records are systematically logged in this comprehensive dataset.
| Study Extent | This survey involves walking different routes within the Zwin Nature Park's provincial domain during the butterfly season, counting the number of butterflies seen. Not always adhering to strictly identical routes each time, these walks are usually along similar or the same transects, often re-surveying the exact same zones within the park. These counts are opportunistically conducted throughout spring and summer when weather conditions are good (sunny, warm and calm) and time permits. This flexible approach means the counting frequency is variable, ranging from largely weekly to, at times, several counts per day. * Weather in 2023: notably cold spring, including persistent northeasterly winds during the second half of May and early June, that kept conditions often cool and windy, particularly in the afternoons. These unfavorable conditions meant fewer routes could be surveyed during that period. Later in the season, from late July to early August: much rain; no counts in that two-week period. When resuming transect counts from August 9th onwards, noticeably fewer butterflies were flying around than before, possibly indicating a substantial decline due to the heavy rain. * Weather in 2024: mild, but very wet spring. |
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Method step description:
- All these observation data have consistently been counted by Wouter Faveyts, so far, in the field at the Zwin Nature Park. In Excel sheets per year, the data are collected, including summed numbers per taxon and per transect count. A brief description of the observation method is also provided.
- Based on those Excel sheets, Darwin Core data files are created through data wrangling in R, uploaded and documented with metadata in the IPT of the Belgian Biodiversity Platform by Stijn Cooleman.
- The dataset is published and registered with GBIF.
Additional Metadata
Weather in 2023: notably cold spring, including persistent northeasterly winds during the second half of May and early June, that kept conditions often cool and windy, particularly in the afternoons. These unfavorable conditions meant fewer routes could be surveyed during that period. Later in the season, from late July to early August: much rain; no counts in that two-week period. When resuming transect counts from August 9th onwards, noticeably fewer butterflies were flying around than before, possibly indicating a substantial decline due to the heavy rain. Weather in 2024: mild, but very wet spring.
| Alternative Identifiers | c46d695c-bc44-439c-8645-cb04ef4cfe5d |
|---|---|
| https://ipt.biodiversity.be/resource?r=zwin-park-butterflies-observations |