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Editor's Note
In February, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations released an unprecedented State of the World's Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture report, warning that biodiversity vital to food and agriculture is disappearing. The report notes that information reported by 91 countries shows that wild food varieties and many species that contribute to providing ecosystem services critical to food and agriculture, including pollinators, soil organic matter and natural enemies of insects, are rapidly disappearing. A new Article published on June 13 on the prestigious environmental website Mongabay shows that it is urgent to deal with the sudden decline in insects. With the consent of the founders of Monabay, the China Green Development Association will translate and share this article as follows.
Source/mongabay
It is worth mentioning that insect biodiversity is extremely important and should be mainstreamed and policy. The IPBES report shows that more than 75% of the world's food crop types, including fruits and vegetables, as well as some of the most important cash crops such as coffee, cocoa and almonds, rely on animal pollination.
In order to promote the conservation of insect biodiversity, the efforts of the China Green Development Council include, but are not limited to: (1) the establishment of the "Insect Watching Working Committee" ;(2) the prevention and control of the invasive alien species grassland moth (autumn armyworm, autumn marching insect) and the "insect ration grain grab"; (3) support the establishment of a community-level "Chinese honeybee reserve" to protect chinese honey bees; (4) due to the sudden decline in insect populations that can lead to the collapse of nature, the Green Society calls for biodiversity to be written into the Constitution; (5) awareness raising and environmental education; (6) advocacy" Nature-based solutions" and so on. We know that pollinators are one of the thirty important issues in CBD COP14 (Egypt) and have adopted important decisions; it is expected that this issue will receive higher attention at CBD COP15 (Kunming 2020).
Press /Linda Translation/Xue Tongtong ed. /Angel
Mass Insect Death: How to Save Insects and Ourselves?
Jeremy Hans/Wen
June 13
· Entomologists interviewed in this Independent Environmental Report series agree on three main reasons for the continued decline of global insect populations: habitat loss (particularly due to agribusiness expansion), climate change, and pesticide use. Some experts also added a fourth reason: overpopulation.
· Most people agree to address these issues, but there is a lack of commitment from the political side, funding from major institutions, and a blueprint for scale. To prevent habitat loss, the researchers urge conservation of biodiversity hotspots such as major rainforests, regeneration of damaged ecosystems, and nature-friendly agriculture.
· Scientists agree that addressing climate change requires deep carbon reductions, as well as the creation of safe, larger-scale protected areas and pathways that cover a wide range of temperate and tropical ecosystems, with consideration for the protection of specific insect populations.
· Solutions for pesticide use include banning certain toxins and pesticide seed coatings, educating farmers by scientists, not pesticide companies, and importantly rethinking agribusiness practices. The Netherlands' Biodiversity Restoration Delta Plan includes some of these elements.
In recent months, the debate about whether a global insect mass extinction is ongoing has been hotly debated in the mainstream media and among researchers. To assess the scope of scientific perspectives, Independent Environmental Report interviewed 24 entomologists and other scientists working in more than a dozen countries on six continents to better determine what we know, what we don't, and most importantly — what we should do.
This is the fourth in an exclusive 4-part series by Independent Environmental Report senior contributor Jeremy Hans. Click on the links at the end of the article to read Parts 1, 2 and 3.
They assembled an incredible investigative team: In 2017, Entomologist Lee Dale of the University of Reno, graduate student Daniel Salcido, and executives from some of the world's largest banks spent a week at a gathering promoted by the Earthwatch Institute to do tough work. The team searched for bugs, laughed and searched on foot in the coniferous forests of the Chirikawa National Forest in Arizona.
In the evening, the researchers described the impact of global warming on insect populations. On the last day, a researcher presented a discussion about the value of native plants around the home — a piece of information that was exactly relevant.
Salcido said, "They liked the topic very much, discussed it one after another, and then they excitedly left to plant native trees in the yard." But she worries whether such a small-scale solution will diminish the value of messaging within a week — by letting these powerful people understand the rapidly warming world, the sharp decline in insect populations, and the links between the two impacts on ecosystems and civilizations.
"I'm disappointed that they think we can solve these complex global problems by planting trees," she says. "In their minds, 'do that part of them' is so refined and small-scale; I realize that while many people are genuinely trying to do their job, they don't yet know how much change it will bring."
Stories outside the pollinator garden
Salcido's story is not unique.
For years, solutions to insect decline — often described as "bees" and "pollinators" — preached "insect-friendly" gardens and limited the use of lawn pesticides. Everything that is needed, this information can be said to be implicit, it is small, it is personal action, and everything will be fine. Entomologists strongly disagree.
Daniel Jensen, an entomologist at the University of Pennsylvania, said: "The extent and reasons for the decline in insect populations are obvious. Insects don't need more "research," they need mitigation and improvement through large-scale financial investments.
"What insects need is large undisturbed wild reserves ... They need to stop climate change, stop population growth," said Jensen, who has been studying insects in Costa Rica for more than half a century.
Scientists say the problem isn't just individual — it's systemic. The causes of insect decline are global and structural, so solutions need to be radically changed – most of them top-down, some of them very basic, but all larger than currently envisaged. Implementing these major solutions will in turn require the full and honest involvement of scientists, legislators, CEOs, bankers, policymakers, and community organizers.
So far, however, worldwide commitments have not been fulfilled. Helen Spafford, an entomologist at the University of Hawaii at Manoa recently, said: "There seems to be a lot of talk, but not a lot of action. ”
Jenson publicly expressed pessimism: "All the new situation is today's propaganda hype and helplessness, and all this will continue to achieve nothing as always." ”
Is there good news? Some of the tools needed to decisively reverse insect decline are well known, and the same tools can help deal with other major ecological disasters. But the vexing question remains: Was Jensen right? Can we reduce the mass consumption of natural base animals in time?
"Reversing this 'nasty' climate change"
Entomologists cite three major influencing factors driving insect decline: habitat destruction (driven largely by agribusiness), an escalating climate crisis, and widespread pesticide use. Some go further, arguing that overpopulation lays the groundwork for all these factors.
For Bradford Lister, a biologist at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, he collaborated with people on a landmark 2018 study that identified a 60-fold reduction in insects in Puerto Rico's nature reserves over 40 years, with climate change as a priority.
"We have to reduce emissions. If we don't, then we will ruin the future for our children, our children's children, and our children's generations, because that would be an unimaginably degraded world," he said.
The good thing about climate change is that the solution is so obvious: stop burning fossil fuels. The obstruction still stems from politics. "In the shortest possible time," Salcido said, "we need to vote for leaders who recognize the global climate change crisis, who will be proactive both nationally and internationally." ”
Given that climate change may already be driving insect decline in the tropics to a large extent, Lister is interested in ensuring safe places where insects can withstand the harshness of global warming. "We are thinking about what measures will be taken ... Provide shelters for insects, connect the passages to these shelters, and maybe even create microhabitas. He said. This requires the protection of different environments, such as high altitudes, so that insects can retreat from the heat.
Of course, if we don't put it as succinctly as Jenson put it: "reverse this nasty climate change," then even shelters may not help.
Pesticides are smarter
Pesticide management may require a more nuanced approach. For example, some entomologists worry that banning the use of a particular pesticide will cause farmers to switch to more toxic chemicals. Other researchers are now arguing about stricter regulation, while also looking for new alternatives to pest control.
Dr. Patricia Henriques, mayor and entomologist at the University of Argentina, said: "Pesticide practices need to be thoroughly examined, taking into account not only their adverse effects on insects, but also the ecosystem as a whole". "Their use should be reduced and replaced by sustainable practices where permitted."
By far, the EU is probably the most aggressive in dealing with pesticides. Based on a large body of data that demonstrates the long-term effects of neonicotinoids on bees and other pollinators, they have banned almost three controversial neonicotinoid insecticides this year.
Ecologist Hans De Kluhn of the University of Radberg, one of the co-authors of the 2017 German study on declining insect abundance, called the neonicotinoid ban "an important step" and an opportunity to study how insect richness responds.
Axel Simanko, an entomologist at Germany's Federal Agency for Conservation of Nature, argues that pesticide control within the EU needs to be stronger, including a blanket ban on protected areas and adjacent agricultural areas. He also favored a ban on "the full use of pesticides containing seed coatings." Today, many crop seeds are coated with neonicotinoids and spread into plants as they grow. Instead, he said, pesticides should only be applied when an active pest problem is detected.
Elsewhere, Bhutan has pledged to become the world's first country to be fully organic farming — banning the use of all pesticides, though no deadline has yet been set for a transition period.
However, not all entomologists are in favor of a complete ban. Dr. Tinno Martins, who helps Kenyan farmers use pesticides, said, "The key question is how to do this wisely. He argues that developing countries with rapidly growing populations, such as Kenya, must first focus on "food security and nutritional security." But that still doesn't mean that pesticides can be sprayed indiscriminately.
"What happens when you're sick? ...... You go to the doctor and get a diagnosis.... When a plant gets sick, we immediately start pouring chemicals on it, often without finding a problem. Martins, who is the executive director of the Mömpala Research Centre in Kenya.
On working with farmers, Martins started with education: "I show them aphids or whiteflies through a magnifying glass or a microscope. The expression on their faces: it was absolute amazement and consternation, for they did not realize that this aphid was a small thing; it grew with its fellow creatures," he explained. "Once people have this understanding, it's easier to move on to the next part of the exploration, yes, you're using a chemical, but will it kill insects?" Will it kill the soil? Will it kill you? What impact does it have on the downstream environment? Can we do better? Can we do it at a lower cost? How do we maintain this in the long term? ”
Crucially, Martins is looking for ways to increase crop yields while reducing the use of pesticides. He believes that through education and assistance, agricultural areas can play a vital role in providing habitat for insects without sacrificing productivity. "I'm actually working on farms where insect diversity is higher than in adjacent natural areas," Martins reveals.
Ecologist Francisco Sanchez Bayou of the University of Sydney concluded that farmers "need to listen to scientists, not to companies that sell chemicals to make money". "The new green revolution needs to be truly 'green' in the modern sense of the word, rather than the old concepts that focus on chemicals."
Land conservation and land sharing
Of the three direct threats to insects, habitat loss is considered to be the most pressing issue at the moment, and ecosystem conservation solutions broadly focus on two approaches: land conservation and land-sharing.
The proponents of the land bank argue that we should fully industrialize agriculture in all areas currently underway, maximizing yields in order to provide as much land as possible for native ecosystems elsewhere. The pro-land-sharing side advocates a matrix of wild-area and nature-friendly agriculture. Both methods may be required.
Referring to the conservation and restoration of large ecosystems, Jensen stressed that "I wouldn't even think of a protected area smaller than 50,000 hectares [193 square miles]," but the practice "requires funding, a lot of money."
"Biodiversity hotspots such as native rainforests should be focused on as early as possible, but our second priority should be to restore damaged ecosystems," said Michel D. Sousa, a researcher who currently leads the Kruger Marese project, an important insect survey in Kruger National Park in South Africa.
Dr Owen Lewis, an entomologist and ecologist at the University of Oxford, agrees that habitat destruction must be severely limited, but says it also requires solutions that allow insects to "persist" in agricultural areas and plantations. Referring to his work in Borneo, he said: "In oil palm plantations, preserving and restoring forests along streams and steep slopes is a way forward. ”
Vojcek Novotini, an entomologist at the University of Southern Bohemia who studies insects in Papua New Guinea, urged a ban on the use of all biofuels, especially crops grown in the tropics, because they have "unlimited demand for agricultural land". In addition, he said, we should adopt "more efficient agricultural methods," including the use of genetically modified crops — a highly controversial issue. "We need to feed people, and the higher the yield in each of our regions, the greater the wild natural space outside of agriculture," Novotney said. ”
Many entomologists work in Europe, arguably the most developed continent, where they see greater demand for "nature-friendly" agricultural practices. Symanko said Europe needs to "overhaul our agriculture in a sensible way" to avoid biodiversity loss.
"Farmers need to restore the environment by planting trees and hedges around their fields and planting flowers between crops to encourage pollinators and beneficial insects to control and avoid pest outbreaks," Sanchez Bayou agreed.
According to Henriques, one strategy that could reduce the demand for more farmland is to decisively deal with food waste: "We don't need to produce more food, we need to be more efficient and reduce losses." ”
It's also time to take more direct insect conservation seriously, using captive breeding and setting up protected areas specifically for insects, Lister said. "Over the past 20 years, insect conservation has come down an amazing path," he says.
All of these actions – whether to combat climate change, reduce pesticide use, or protect natural areas and revitalize farmland – will go far beyond helping the insects themselves. They can protect other wildlife, store carbon, reduce water pollution, and more. Solutions that encourage insect abundance intersect with those of our other global ecological dilemmas.
Sparford concluded: "We need a coordinated international community to work to protect the living systems on Earth that produce the air, water and food we need. ”
But changing courses is not easy. Deforestation, climate change and pesticide abuse, "all three unpleasant facts are abominable to rich countries, and have no interest in Jal Bolsonaros and the tropical countries that govern them and the upper classes that survive because of them," Jensen wrote of Brazil, referring to a right-wing president and a left-wing leader in Venezuela, both known for their anti-environmental policies.
Overpopulation (not insects)
There's a deeper, darker conundrum, Lister said: "We now exceed at least 60 to 70 percent of Earth's carrying capacity." This means that we need 1.6 to 1.7 Planets to support the current population. If a population of 9 billion to 10 billion is reached, as predicted later in the century ... We will need another Earth. ”
Behind all our environmental catastrophes, many entomologists and ecologists say, is the indisputable but rarely discussed reality of 7.5 billion people — 6 billion more than in 1900. However, the population explosion remains a largely untouchable topic, but one problem remains in proven solutions.
Experts say the best way to combat overpopulation is not war, famine or disease. What we know is to support women globally: to ensure that they are educated (according to statistics educated women have fewer children) and to provide high-quality health care, including contraceptives and family planning, everywhere.
Fertility rates have declined in most parts of the world over the past 50 years. However, Novotini noted that in sub-Saharan Africa, the proportion remains high. He advocated for an economic solution to the insect recession there and elsewhere: "To ensure that per capita incomes in developing countries, particularly in Africa, increase by $2,000 to $3,000, which is causing a decline in household size across the globe." "Because humans are able to meet or exceed their basic needs — such as nutrition, health care, education and elderly care — this will result in many places having fewer children."
Lister noted that China's success lies in the fact that it recently announced that its population would stabilize within a decade, and then the fertility rate began to decline because fewer women had children. "I was thinking, 'Hallelujah. This is the best news I've heard in years! He said.
Delta Project – Take the Netherlands as an example
The first hard data to hint at insect extinction was in 2017, when a study found that winged insect populations in Natural Areas of Germany had declined by 75 percent over 27 years. Neighboring Dutch took the data to heart, and just two years later they began taking action to improve the lives of insects.
"Our research ... It caused a shock in the Netherlands, it appeared on every television show, in all the newspapers," said Hans de Crohn, a co-author of German studies and a scientist from the Netherlands.
De Crohn and his colleagues were even invited to speak in the Dutch parliament. Then a local reporter called the head of a large agricultural organization to ask for his opinion. He replied that the demise of insects "is not conducive to our profits ... We are very worried about this," says de Crohn. Encouragingly, the researchers reached out to agricultural groups to form a productive coalition that could lead to dramatic changes in the way crops and livestock are produced in the Netherlands.
The results of the study were the Netherlands' Biodiversity Restoration Delta Plan – a new revolutionary blueprint for national conservation that was appreciated by the country's Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food, Corolla Schoten. Equally important, it is supported by scientists and agribusiness.
De Crohn reports that "millions of euros have been planned" to change the way we farm and improve the quality of our environment. ”
The plan includes a number of measures to encourage producers to adopt nature-friendly farming practices and promises to change the law to aid insects. It also recommends creating pathways between nature reserves; providing circulating nutrients for healthy soils; refocusing on natural pest control; and ensuring that infrastructure preserves more biodiversity than destruction.
The plan also states: "In order to achieve these targets, systematic changes must be made, which means that the costs and benefits of biodiversity must be internalized." ”
If the Delta Plan is fully implemented, the Netherlands will be a key testing ground for The Great Insect Armageddon.
Martins said: "I hope we can learn from insects and change the way we do things." ”
Look at insects again
In his 2006 book Creation: A Call to Save Life on Earth, the world's most famous entomologist, E.O. Wilson, describes a human world without insects:
In the first few decades, humanity was generally starved, and the population plummeted to a fraction of its original level. In human history, the control of dwindling resources, hardships and wars against the barbarism and upheaval of the Dark Ages will be unprecedented. In a destroyed world, in an age of ecological darkness, survivors cling to the chance to survive and pray for the return of weeds and insects.
I dare to guess: This moth dystopian is not the world we want — not monsanto's CEO, Cargill's lobbyist, a logger in the Congolese rainforest, or an investor dumping millions of dollars on Amazon ranches or Sumatran oil palm plantations.
If given the opportunity to talk to Kenyan leaders, Martins would ask them, "'How do we really want to live?'" Do we want a sustainable life? Do we want nutritious foods? Do we want healthy soil? Well-functioning forests and wetlands? 'If the answer is yes... Then I would say we really need to think about it seriously... What makes it a reality is the biodiversity of insects. He added, "This is one way we've successfully worked with farmers, and I'll continue to scale up and talk to policymakers." ”
About 250,000 years ago, when Homo sapiens appeared in this world, we entered a world run by a super-rich and diverse family of insects. From soil nutrients to waste management to the food chain, everything is behind these little things, and that's not changing.
But insects are more than just ecological mechanics — they're wonderful, beautiful, awesome, weird, ugly, terrifying, funny, destructive, and very rich creatures. They are nature in their own right, exposed to trillions of creatures.
Martins said: "Insects give us the opportunity to gain insight into the wonders of nature and the universe". "If we lose them, we lose the ability to see things. It is necessary to see, learn and understand ourselves and the world around us. I would say we need insects a lot more than they need us. ”
Continue reading Part 4 of this series and click the links below to read Parts 1, 2, and 3. This article needs to be republished, see here.
cite:
Sánchez-Bayo, F., Wyckhuys, K.A.G., Worldwide decline of the entomofauna: A review of its drivers, Biological Conservation. 232, 2019, 8–27.
Hallmann, C.A., Sorg, M., Jongejans, E., Siepel, H., Hofland, N., Schwan, H., Stenmans, W., Müller, A., Sumser, H., Hörren, T., Goulson, D., de Kroon, H., 2017. More than 75 percent decline over 27 years in total flying insect biomass in protected areas. PLoS One 12, e0185809.
Lister, B.C., Garcia, A., 2018. Climate-driven declines in arthropod abundance restructure a rainforest food web. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas. 1722477115.
【Original link】
https://news.mongabay.com/2019/06/the-great-insect-dying-how-to-save-insects-and-ourselves/
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