Insects could be wiped out within a century
INSECTS could become extinct in 100 years, warn scientists. They are dying out eight times faster than mammals, birds and reptiles, with more than 40 per cent of species declining and a third endangered. There have been recent reports of heavily declining insect numbers in Puerto Rico and Germany. But the scientists’ review of 3 previous studies indicates it is a world- wide crisis. Insects are crucial to all ecosystems because of their role in pollinating plants and flowers, and as a food item for other creatures.
One of the review’s authors, Francisco Sanchez-Bayo, from the University of Sydney, described the 2.5 per cent rate of annual loss over the past 2530 years as ‘shocking’.
He said: ‘It is very rapid. In ten years you will have a quarter less, in 50 years only half left and in 100 years you will have none.
‘If insect species losses cannot be halted, this will have catastrophic consequences for the planet’s ecosystems and for the survival of mankind.’
The study, published in the journal Biological Conservation, says the main reason for the declines is intensive agriculture, in particular, the heavy use of pesticides and the removal of all trees and shrubs that normally surround the fields. It also suggests that urbanisation and climate change are significant factors.
Butterflies are among the worst hit insects in England with the number of widespread species falling by 58 per cent on farmed land between 2000 and 2009.
Prof Dave Goulson, of the University of Sussex, said the decline was a ‘huge concern’.