A collection of new scientific papers, written by 56 experts from around the world, reiterates the growing concerns about insect declines and urges people and governments to take urgent action to address a biodiversity crisis that is becoming the “insect apocalypse” mentioned.
“The Global Decline of Insects in the Anthropocene Special Feature”, which includes an introduction and 11 paper, was published in Monday Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences next to a related news article. “Nature is under siege,” warn the scientists. “Insects suffer from ‘death from a thousand cuts’.”
The series of studies – which is the result of a symposium in St. Louis – comes as research on insect decline has grown in recent years, leading to major reviews published in February 2019 and April 2020, as well as a roadmap released last January by 73 scientists tell how to fight the “bug pocalypse”.
As the new package and image below explain, human stressors that experts have linked to bug decline include agricultural practices; chemical, light and sound pollution; invasive species; land use changes; nitrification; pesticides; and urbanization.
University of Connecticut entomologist David Wagner, lead author of the package, highlighted the ramifications of such denials, telling the Associated Press that insects “are absolutely the fabric with which Mother Nature and the tree of life are built.”
According to Wagner, many insect populations are declining by about 1-2% per year. As he put it The Guardian: “You lose 10-20% of your animals in a decade and that’s just absolutely scary. You’re tearing apart the carpet of life.”
While most of the causes of declines are known, “there is one very big unknown and that is climate change – that’s the one that scares me the most,” he said, warning that the crisis could lead to “extinctions at a rate that we haven’t done. already seen. “
“To mitigate the effects of the sixth mass extinction we caused, we need a stable (and almost certainly lower) human population, sustainable consumption levels and social justice” https://t.co/ m3q4tLUxz4
– Damian Carrington (@dpcarrington) January 11, 2021
Roel van Klink of the German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research said The Guardian that “the most important thing we learn [from these new studies] the complexity behind insects is decreasing. No quick fix will solve this problem. “
“There are certainly places where insect numbers are declining, but not everywhere,” he said. “This is cause for hope, because it can help us understand what we can do to help them. They can bounce back very quickly if conditions improve.”
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The introduction to the package notes that while much recent research and resulting reporting has focused on insect declines, “four articles in this special issue report examples of ancestry from insects that have not changed or are in abundance. have increased “.
“Many species of moths in Britain have arguably expanded in size or population size,” the paper notes. “Numerous temperate insects, presumably limited by winter temperatures, have increased in abundance and range in response to warmer global temperatures.”
Pollinators, such as the western honey bee in North America, “thrive best because of their associations with humans,” adds the introduction. “The increasing abundance of freshwater insects is attributed to clean water legislation in both Europe and North America.”
In addition to the introduction, entitled “Decline of Insects in the Anthropocene: Death with a Thousand Cuts,” the package includes seven perspectives:
The body of work also includes three separate research articles:
The final piece is a piece of advice outlining “ eight simple actions individuals can take to save insects from global decline, ” with five actions to “ create more and better insect-friendly habitats, the loss of which is likely a major cause of insect declines. ” , ”and three aimed at adjusting public opinion.
As Dharna Noor wrote in her coverage Earthing: “I don’t like insects. Creepy things with many legs make my skin crawl. But unpleasant as they may be, insects are absolutely crucial to the functioning of our world’s ecosystems, and unfortunately new research shows that the populations of the creatures on the verge of collapse. “
To raise awareness and appreciation of insects, the scientists propose to counter negative perceptions, push for conservation efforts, and get involved in local political advocacy. In terms of habitat improvement, they recommend converting lawns into diverse natural habitats, growing native plants, reducing pesticide use, limiting light pollution, and reducing soap runoff from vehicle washing and building exteriors , as well as the use of driveway sealants and de-icing salts.
“Avoiding certain behaviors or adopting others will contribute both directly and indirectly to insect conservation,” note the scientists. “Furthermore, taking measures to address issues such as climate change can synergistically promote insect diversity. Climate change is increasingly recognized as a primary factor driving the extinction of local and regional plants and animals.”