Insectageddon should freak us out
Arecent review has demonstrated a ‘‘dreadful state of insect biodiversity in the world, as almost half of the species are rapidly declining and a third are being threatened with extinction’’. This should be a substantial wakeup call. You should be concerned.
The review examined 73 studies that repeatedly surveyed insects for 10 years. Their analysis included work from Germany showing a 76 per cent decline in flying insect biomass over 27 years.
This insect Armageddon or ‘‘insectageddon’’ is a global phenomenon. Puerto Rico was found to have experienced up to 98 per cent biomass loss in some rainforest habitats over a 36-year period.
New Zealand insects are in crisis too. We have very little data for the vast majority of our bugs.
Probably the best audit so far has shown 32.5 per cent of the invertebrate species for which we have data are threatened or at risk. A total of 49 per cent of our carabid beetle species are threatened or at risk. Extinctions have already occurred.
Entomologists are in agreement that an ‘‘insectageddon’’ is happening here: we’ve seen what is probably a long and gradual decline in insect species and abundance over several decades.
What is causing the rapid global decline of insects? The study points to habitat loss by conversion to intensive agriculture and urbanisation, pollution by synthetic pesticides and fertilisers, pathogens and introduced species, as well as climate change.
This insectageddon is catastrophic. It’s worth quoting the review here: ‘‘The pace of modern insect extinctions surpasses that of vertebrates by a large margin . . . it is evident that we are witnessing the largest extinction event on Earth since the late Permian and Cretaceous periods. Because insects constitute the world’s most abundant and speciose animal group and provide critical services within ecosystems, such [an] event cannot be ignored and should prompt decisive action to avert a catastrophic collapse of nature’s ecosystems.’’
This isn’t the first study or review to highlight a massive, catastrophic and ongoing extinction of our insects. Previous insectageddon studies have been published, with supporting media coverage and statements from other scientists (‘‘if we lose the insects, then everything is going to collapse’’). But then little else happens.
Just as the insectageddon is a worldwide phenomenon, the lack of government action is similarly near global. A UK entomologist has lamented that we have seen little in the way of urgent expert task forces and the dedication of research funding into entomology.
We’ve seen few universities advertising entomologically focused PhD positions with the goal of solving these problems.
In New Zealand, we have special funds and groups formed for the conservation of single species, such as with solving the kauri dieback problem. That funding and work is fantastic and deserves ongoing support. And to be fair there is some funding for invertebrate conservation through the Department of Conservation and National Science Challenges.
The New Zealand public is engaged, with programmes such as ‘‘trees for bees’’ benefiting many more insects than just exotic honey bees. But there is more and more evidence that one of our most vital widespread and speciose groups of biodiversity is in major crisis mode. We have to do better.
Many insect species seem unlikely to go extinct to me. Populations of pests such as invasive ants, cockroaches, grass grubs, mosquitoes and social wasps seem to be doing just fine. Some of these species even seem to be benefiting from climate change and agricultural intensification.
But do we want these pests to replace our native bees, butterflies and beetles? Are these pests the legacy we leave our children?
Do we really want future generations, as some predict, fighting for ‘‘survival in a toxic world covered in dung’’ and starving ‘‘due to crop failures’’?
We need to understand patterns on insect decline and mechanisms for a reversal here in New Zealand. We have some world-leading entomologists and researchers at our universities, museums and Crown research institutes.
I urge the Government to make it a priority to help the public and these scientists understand and reverse insect declines.
How many more times do we need to scream catastrophe? Let’s use every tool we have in the box to reverse the insectageddon.
New Zealand insects are in crisis too ... Extinctions have already occurred.