ARTICLES
Rapid Disappearance of Insects Worldwide is one More Challenge
News story based on Research by Dr Francisco Sánchez-Bayo
The world faces a 'catastrophic' ecological disaster, because
insect populations are dying out at an alarming rate across the
world, a damning new scientific report published in the journal
“Biological Conservation” warns. Scientists predict more than
40 per cent of insect species will be wiped out within the next
few decades, because insect biomass is declining in almost all
regions of the world, at a steady rate of about 2.5 per cent each
year.
having a major impact. The most serious driver in the decline of
insects is considered to be the loss of habitat due to intensive
farming and urbanisation, according to the lead author, Dr
Francisco Sánchez-Bayo from the University of Sydney. “Second
is the worldwide increased use of fertilisers and pesticides in
agriculture, and contamination with chemical pollutants of all
kinds,” Dr Sánchez-Bayo told the BBC.
Biological factors, such as pathogens and introduced species,
are the third largest cause of habitat loss, followed by climate
change, particularly in tropical areas where rising temperatures
can affect the range of places where insects can live.
We must learn to care more about insects to help save them,
experts say. Photo Getty
The report, 'Worldwide Decline of the Entomofauna', blames the
combination of pesticide use, intensive agriculture, and climate
change for the unprecedented die-off. The report also warns that
the rapid decrease in insect numbers could have 'catastrophic'
implications, causing widespread extinctions within the next
century.
Stick insects are difficult to see as they so resemble twigs or
branches of plants. They eat decaying plant matter.
The rate of predicted extinction of mainly bee, ant and beetle
species is said to be eight times faster than that of mammals,
birds and reptiles. Conversely, houseflies and cockroaches are
expected to thrive in a human-made environment, having evolved
a resistance to pesticides and other pollutants.
Conservationist from UK campaign group ‘Buglife’, Matt Shardlow,
commented that this report slightly overemphasises the role of
pesticides, whilst underplaying global warming, although other
unstudied factors, such as light pollution might also prove to be
significant. “It’s not just about bees, or even about pollination
and feeding ourselves – the declines also include dung beetles
that recycle waste, and insects like dragonflies that start life in
rivers and ponds,” Mr Shardlow told the BBC. “It is becoming
increasingly obvious our planet’s ecology is breaking down, and
an intense and global effort to halt and reverse these dreadful
trends is essential. Allowing the slow eradication of insect life to
continue is simply not a rational option,” he said.
The scientific review, which collectively assessed 73 existing
reports on insect decline published over the past 13 years,
also classified one-third of insect species as ‘endangered’. This
may already be sufficient to damage the planet’s ecosystems,
producing devastating consequences for human life.
The researchers warned that the intensification of agriculture
over the past six decades was 'the root cause of the problem',
and that the relentless and widespread use of pesticides was
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SCIENCE EDUCATIONAL NEWS VOL 68 NO 1