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Collection of New Scientific Papers by 56 Experts Around the World Reiterates Growing Concerns Over Decline in Bugs, Urges People and Governments to Take Urgent Action to Address a Biodiversity Crisis Dubbed the ‘Bug Apocalypse “.
“The Global Decline of Insects in the Anthropocene”, which includes an introduction and 11 papers, was published Monday in Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences next to a related press article. “Nature is under siege,” warn scientists. “Insects suffer from ‘death by a thousand cuts’.”
The set of studies – resulting from a symposium in Saint-Louis – comes as the body of research on the decline of insects has broadened in recent years, leading to major assessments published in February 2019 and April 2020, as well as a roadmap published last January by 73 scientists explaining how to fight the “bugpocalypse”.
As the new package and the graphic below explain, the human stressors that experts have linked to insect decline include agricultural practices; chemical, light and noise pollution; invasive species; land use changes; nitrification; pesticides; and urbanization.
Highlighting the consequences of these declines, University of Connecticut entomologist David Wagner, lead author of the package, told the Associated press that insects “are absolutely the fabric by which Mother Nature and the tree of life are built.”
According to Wagner, many insect populations are dropping about 1 to 2 percent per year. As he said The Guardian: “You lose 10-20% of your animals in a single decade and it’s just scary. You tear the tapestry of life apart.”
While most of the causes of the decline are well known, “there is a very big unknown and it’s climate change – it’s the one that really scares me the most,” he said, warning that the crisis could cause “extinctions at a rate that we have not. Already seen.”
“To mitigate the effects of the sixth mass extinction event that we caused, the following will be needed: 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 from the German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research said The Guardian that “the most important thing we learn [from these new studies] is the complexity behind the decline of insects. No single quick fix will solve this problem. “
“There are certainly places where insect abundance is dropping sharply, but not everywhere,” he said. “It’s a reason to be hopeful, because it can help us understand what we can do to help them. They can bounce back very quickly when conditions improve.”
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The package’s introduction points out that while much recent research and the resulting media coverage has focused on declines in bug populations, “four articles in this special issue report cases of insect lineages that have failed. not changed or that have grown in abundance ”.
“Many species of moths in Britain have clearly spread in terms of distribution or population size,” the document notes. “Many 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, “may well thrive because of their associations with humans,” the introduction adds. “The increase in the abundance of freshwater insects has been attributed to drinking water legislation in Europe and North America.”
In addition to the introduction, titled “The Decline of Insects in the Anthropocene: Death by a Thousand Cuts”, the set includes seven perspectives:
The body of work also includes three distinct research articles:
The final item is an advisory outlining “Eight Simple Steps People Can Take to Save Insects from Global Declines”, which includes five steps to create “more and better insect-friendly habitats, the loss of which is likely to be lost. ‘one of the main causes of insect declines’, and three that aim to adjust public attitudes.
As Dharna Noor wrote on her cover for Further: “I don’t like bugs. Creepy, multi-legged things make my skin crawl. But nasty as they are, insects are absolutely crucial to the functioning of our world’s ecosystems, and unfortunately new research shows that populations of creatures are on the verge of collapse. “
To increase awareness and appreciation of insects, scientists suggest countering negative perceptions, lobbying for conservation efforts, and getting involved in local political advocacy. Regarding habitat improvement, they recommend converting lawns into various natural habitats, growing native plants, reducing the use of pesticides, limiting light pollution, and reducing soap runoff. from washing vehicles and exterior buildings, as well as the use of driveway sealers and de-icing salts. .
“Avoiding certain behaviors or adopting others will contribute both directly and indirectly to insect conservation,” the scientists note. “In addition, taking actions that address issues such as climate change can synergistically promote insect diversity. Climate change is increasingly recognized as a major factor behind local and regional extinctions of plants and animals.
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