Color as biodiversity barometer

Researchers in Brazil found butterfly communities in natural forest had more species and far greater color diversity than nearby eucalyptus plantations, which were dominated by brown species. Earlier work showed the most colorful species vanish first after deforestation, while 30 years of forest regeneration restores color diversity. Treating visible color diversity as an easy‑to‑explain indicator could help communicate and monitor ecological health. — A simple, observable metric like color diversity can make biodiversity loss legible to the public and policymakers, sharpening debates over monoculture forestry and restoration goals.