Insect populations have declined by 75% in less than the short time that I have been alive.
Few people seem to know this let alone realise how devastating it is in terms of its impact.
Human beings need insects for their eco-system services …. they pollinate our crops in the human food supply, they recycle dung, leaves and corpses, they keep the soil healthy, they control pests and they do much more.
Many larger animals, such as birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians, rely on insects for food.
Wild flowers, plants and trees rely on insects for pollination.
As insect populations continue to rapidly decline, our planet and its biodiversity will slowly grind to a halt since it can not function without them.
We do not know enough to be able to predict how much resilience is left or how close we actually are to tipping points beyond which catastrophic collapse becomes inevitable.
Insects have been around for millions of years and they make up the bulk of the known species on our planet. If we were to lose many of our insects, overall biodiversity would be significantly reduced. Given their diversity and abundance, it is inevitable that insects are intimately involved in all terrestrial and freshwater food chains and food webs.
Halting and reversing the decline in insects, or indeed tackling any of the other major environmental threats we face, requires action at many levels, from the general public to farmers, food retailers and other businesses, local authorities and Government.
In the UK, there is very little serious and meaningful focus on environmental issues despite the fact that there is overwhelming evidence that unsustainable and human activity and over-exploitation of the planet’s resources is having a catastrophic impact in terms of climate change and biodiversity loss and extinction.
What is required is, or should be, abundantly clear.
We must create a society and communities that value the natural world for its beauty and complexity and for what it does for us and encourage awareness and respect for the environment.
We must radically transform our eating habits, our food system and our farming practices by prioritising sustainable production and regenerative agriculture to promote good soil health and an environment to support and protect wildlife and nature.
Government research, monitoring and conservation schemes must be properly resourced, legislative protection for habitats and wildlife must be significantly improved and the UK must take a global lead on tackling the climate emergency and biodiversity loss and extinction.
The Guardian - The insect apocalypse: "Our world will grind to a halt without them" The Guardian
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