This publication presents guidelines to support the development of butterfly monitoring at local, national, regional, and global levels. Set out within this document are a suite of standard field protocols that can measure butterfly population change over various spatial and temporal scales, and that can be applied in any part of the world. Two field protocols are recommended here; they are transect counts and fruit baiting. Transect counts entail counting the numbers and species of butterflies along a fixed route ('transect') on a regular basis throughout the flight season. Fruit baiting entails counting the number and species of butterflies caught in a hanging trap baited with fermenting fruit on a regular basis throughout the flight season. Additional supplementary protocols are described for specific situations and circumstances. The target audience of these guidelines are scheme coordinators, i.e. people wishing to establish butterfly monitoring in any part of the world. The guidelines explain how to set up butterfly monitoring that can provide consistent and comparable results between sites and between years, consistent with international standards. The information in these guidelines is not meant to be exhaustive, as each situation will vary according to country or region and over time. However, it should serve as a useful starting point.