Abstract
AbstractWhile several recent studies have focused on global insect population trends, all are limited in either space or taxonomic scope. As global monitoring programs for insects are currently not implemented, inherent biases exist within most data. Expert opinion, which is often widely available, proves to be a valuable tool where hard data are limited. Our aim is to use global expert opinion to provide insights on the root causes of potential insect declines worldwide, as well as on effective conservation strategies that could mitigate insect biodiversity loss. We obtained 753 responses from 413 respondents with a wide variety of spatial and taxonomic expertise. The most relevant threats identified through the survey were agriculture and climate change, followed by pollution, while land management and land protection were recognized as the most significant conservation measures. Nevertheless, there were differences across regions and insect groups, reflecting the variability within the most diverse class of eukaryotic organisms on our planet. Lack of answers for certain biogeographic regions or taxa also reflects the need for research in less investigated settings. Our results provide a novel step toward understanding global threats and conservation measures for insects.
Highlights
Insects play a key role in providing numerous irreplaceable services, many of which are critical to human survival and wellbeing
Based on expert opinion obtained through the survey tackling questions on main threats, as well as conservation measures for insects, we identify the potential root causes of insect population trends and extinctions across different biogeographical regions and taxa
We are aware of the fact that expert opinion is prone to subjectivity, it has already proven to be highly beneficial for conservation science (Martin et al, 2012)
Summary
Insects play a key role in providing numerous irreplaceable services, many of which are critical to human survival and wellbeing. Most insects are noncharismatic at best and perceived as pests at worst. As such, they receive little attention (with a few exceptions, e.g., bees and butterflies, which often capture the public’s attention), attracting few resources for monitoring and conservation (Krause & Robinson, 2017; Mammola et al, 2020). Recent studies on animal biodiversity confirm an underrepresentation of insects in the published literature (Titley et al, 2017). One pioneer study conducted in 63 nature protection areas in Germany showed a dramatic 75% decline in total flying insect biomass, regardless of habitat type (Hallmann et al, 2017)
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