Marks & Spencer has launched a new butterfly conservation scheme to help reverse the sharp decline in butterfly numbers.

Working in partnership with the charity Butterfly Conservation, the supermarket will target both farmer suppliers and customers to help raise awareness about the importance of butterflies and moths.

All farmer suppliers will receive advice on how to encourage butterflies on their farms, and customers will be encouraged to take part in the UK’s largest ever butterfly count in July, which has a target of 100,000 participants.

Sir David Attenborough, who attended the launch at the Royal Bath & West Show, said butterfly numbers were falling, but scientists had proven that the declines could be reversed. “When you change the environment to help butterflies thrive, all sorts of other wildlife benefits too.”

Richard Gillies, M&S director of Plan A, said butterflies were important pollinators of plants, and caterpillars provided food for many birds and other wildlife. “We hope that our campaign will be a major way of helping to reverse the long-term decline of butterflies and moths, as well as enhancing the habitats for wildlife and improving the environment for us all.”