WHAT IS IT?: Scientists in Australia and Viet Nam (Francisco Sánchez-Bayo and Kris Wyckhuys) have published a survey of research on insect populations, concluding that 41% of insect species are in decline and 33% of species in the countries studied are facing extinction. The factors include habitat change, pollution (mainly synthetic fertilizers and pesticides), and various biological factors, such as pathogens and introduced species. Less than 7% of the studies pointed to climate change. But habitat change, like climate change and pollution, is mainly the result of human activities. What we do and the decisions we make change the planet. The Green Revolution, for instance, created a huge increase in crop production in developing countries, but it did that by using fertilizers, pesticides, and high-yield crop varieties. So, while more food was produced for humans, damage was being done to the environment which, in turn, led to a sharp decline in insect biodiversity. It also resulted in the overall decline in insect biomass.
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| Insect biomass decline: extrapolated from 2019 - 2119, showing the difference between a linear and exponential rate Structured Data by FeydHuxtable licensed under the Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0 license. |
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?: The reason this is important is because humans are at the top of a complex pyramid of life forms. From water-borne creatures, to soil, to plants, to insects, to fish, to birds, to amphibians, to mammals, to humans - we are all interdependent. What affects one component of the food web affects the other components. On top of that, insects provide important micro-services to its environment, including food source, pollination, natural pest control, and nutirent recycling and decomposition services. Ultimately, reducing biodiversity make the ecosystem more brittle, the same way that removing the leg of a chair makes it less sturdy.
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Insects on Geranium pratense flowers
Photo by Alexandr frolov licensed under the the Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0 license
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WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?: For one, neonicotinoid-based pesticides shouldn't be used. These pesticides ad fipronil, in particular, impair the immune system of bees, cause other effects that reduce the foraging ability of worker bees, and impair the reproductive ability of queens and drones. Bayer and Ortho sell a number of these products and I have pasted a link to a table of such products below. You can all allow your lawn to "grow wild". Some US states even encourage this through local cooperative extension services. "Think Globally, Act Locally", by plant native species when buying plants and avoiding double flowering plants. The flowers of these plants can't be pollinated by bees.
Sources:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320718313636
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/02/why-insect-populations-are-plummeting-and-why-it-matters/
https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2019/03/21/the-insect-apocalypse-is-not-here-but-there-are-reasons-for-concern
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/02/insect-apocalypse-really-upon-us/583018/
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/feb/10/plummeting-insect-numbers-threaten-collapse-of-nature
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/oct/18/warning-of-ecological-armageddon-after-dramatic-plunge-in-insect-numbers
https://earther.gizmodo.com/bug-scientists-push-back-against-insect-apocalypse-pape-1833492456
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/gcb.14608
https://xerces.org/wings-archive/neonicotinoids-in-your-garden/ (Neonicotinoid-based Pesticides)
https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/13/opinions/protect-insects-five-things-intl/index.html
