In addition to pollinating, the insects perform natural pest control, break down organic matter and return nutrients to the soil, according to a recent study led by conservation groups Kent Wildlife Trust and Buglife . And, according to this new survey, insect numbers have dropped at a terrifying rate.
Analyzing the ‘splash rate’
Have you noticed how many bugs end up on your car windshield lately? They are less than usual , right? It is not a coincidence. Two UK conservation groups set out to test the ‘windscreen phenomenon’ and the result was shocking: the number of flying insects landing on British cars was reduced by almost 60% in just 17 years.
To do this, they asked survey participants to download an app called Bugs Matter , which allowed them to record their car trips and the number of bugs squashed on their license plates.
The survey included nearly 5,000 trips made in 2021 and determined the “splash rate” (the number of insects squashed per kilometer) for each trip. Comparing the results to a similar study conducted in 2004, the researchers found that the number of insects fell by 58.5% between 2004 and 2021 in the UK, with the largest decline recorded in England (65%), followed by Wales (55%) and Scotland (28%).
“This vital study suggests that the number of flying insects is declining by an average of 34% per decade , which is frightening,” said Buglife CEO Matt Shardlow in a press release. “We cannot postpone action any longer, for the health and well-being of future generations, this demands a political and social response, it is essential that we stop the decline of biodiversity, now!”
A world without them could make life on Earth very difficult.
Insects are crucial in maintaining a healthy environment in our surroundings. And these results are consistent with other assessments of insect decline, including a survey of car windshields in rural Denmark that was conducted every year from 1997 to 2017 and found an 80 percent decline in insect numbers .
The global decline in their numbers could lead to a “catastrophic collapse of nature’s ecosystems,” the researchers say.
Harmful factors and solutions
Factors known to harm insects include habitat fragmentation, climate change, pesticides, and light pollution . To help the insects, conservationists encourage ordinary people to not use pesticides, let the grass grow longer, and plant wildflowers in their gardens. According to experts, if every garden had a little corner for insects, together it would probably become the largest area of wildlife habitat in the world.
But the problem goes much further . Animals, such as birds, that depend on them for food will also be affected. Insects and pollinators are critical to the health of our environment and rural economies.
The decline in insects affects all large groups. In the coming decades, up to 40% of the world’s species could become extinct , including bees, ants and butterflies. These insects represent some of the most important pollinators of plants. While plants pollinate in many different ways, insect-pollinated crop plants such as apples, pears, cucumbers, watermelons, and almonds will become significantly less productive without pollinators and could end up collapsing.
Referencia: ‘Increased population exposure to Amphan-scale cyclones under future climates’, Climate Resilience and Sustainability (2022).
