Losing insects would be ‘catastrophic’
More than 40 per cent of the world’s insect species could become extinct over the next several decades, leading to ‘‘catastrophic’’ results for the planet’s ecosystems, a new study says.
The study, published in the April edition of the peer-reviewed journal Biological Conservation, says dung beetles, butterflies, moths, bees and wasps are among those species that appear to be the most affected.
The study cites habitat loss due to ‘‘intensive agriculture and urbanisation’’, pollution and climate change as key reasons for the rapid declines.
‘‘The repercussions this will have for the planet’s ecosystems are catastrophic to say the least, as insects are at the structural and functional base of many of the world’s ecosystems,’’ researchers said in the study conducted by the University of Sydney, University of Queensland and China Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
The study was based on a review of 73 comprehensive reports from around the world detailing insect declines.
It said more than 60 per cent of dung beetles in Mediterranean countries were in decline, while one in six species of bees had become regionally extinct.
The researchers noted that most studies on extinction among species tended to focus on birds or mammals, but insects were under-represented. ‘‘Most plants depend on insects in many ways for their own reproduction,’’ said Tim Kring, chair of the entomology department at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
The study advises several changes to slow or halt the decline, including a serious reduction in the use of pesticides.