A SHRILL BUZZ OF ALARM THAT WE IGNORE AT OUR PERIL

These entomological graphics are public domain images from my library. CJB.

Dr Christopher J Betts 21 February 2020.

Readers of my news items before we introduced the new “Insight” rubric for our web site will recall that I have penned several short but I hope pithy notes about the alarming demise of invertebrates we are witnessing. This month (February 2020), two seminal papers appeared in the learned journal Biological Conservation. The first is worryingly entitled “Scientists' warning to humanity on insect extinctions[1]” and the second, with suggested remedies if only governments NGOs and individuals will act urgently, is “Solutions for humanity on how to conserve insects[2]”. These papers have been picked up by much of the press and are compulsory reading for everyone who cares about life on our planet and human context. They are substantial pieces of detailed research and I can only highlight a few of the more striking findings here.

Essentially, the work of all these scientists reveals that half a million, yes FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND, species of insects are facing extermination because of human activities. That adds up to an extinction the like of which the Earth has not seen for 66 million years when the dinosaurs and much other life died out after a huge meteor hit. Then the extinction was not of our making: this time it is. 

I would counsel everyone to read and digest these two papers. It will help to understand the urgency for action to attack and defuse the bombshell of environmental consequences of the two greatest looming global threats to us and life on our planet: biodiversity loss and species extinction. Another frisson supplements these worries – the fact that the data we have are far from complete. The situation is likely to be much worse than has so far been revealed because we do not have enough knowledge of the insect world. How many species, how many individuals, their life histories, their ecological relationships, their survivorships, all these data are incomplete even if we can see the serious trouble so many of those species we have studied are in. Almost everywhere we look, the populations of insects are in decline, whether they are herbivores, detrivores, carnivores, lignivores or what have you. And the scientists behind this research are clear: human activities are the cause. 

You probably already know what these causal human activities are – there has been plenty of publicity about them over recent years and you would have to have been living under a rock to be unaware of them, but whilst we have all heard the warnings about climate change, pesticides, habitat destruction, over-exploitation, pollution, invasive species and the rest, fewer people are aware of, or have made the connection with, the interdependence of human and invertebrate life and the reliance we have on what insects do for us. This falls into the topic of “ecosystem services”, a phrase much bandied about in recent times but often with little understanding by those who hear it.

[1] Pedro Cardoso, Philip S. Barton, Klaus Birkhofer, Filipe Chichorro, Charl Deacon, Thomas Fartmann, Caroline S. Fukushima, René Gaigher, Jan C. Habel, Caspar A. Hallmann, Matthew J. Hill, Axel Hochkirch, Mackenzie L. Kwak, Stefano Mammola, Jorge Ari Noriega, Alexander B. Orfinger, Fernando Pedraza, James S. Pryke, Fabio O. Roque, Josef Settele, John P. Simaika, Nigel E. Stork, Frank Suhling, Carlien Vorster, Michael J. Samways. Scientists' warning to humanity on insect extinctions. Biological Conservation, 2020; 108426 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108426.

[2] Michael J. Samways, Philip S. Barton, Klaus Birkhofer, Filipe Chichorro, Charl Deacon, Thomas Fartmann, Caroline S. Fukushima, René Gaigher, Jan C. Habel, Caspar A. Hallmann, Matthew J. Hill, Axel Hochkirch, Lauri Kaila, Mackenzie L. Kwak, Dirk Maes, Stefano Mammola, Jorge A. Noriega, Alexander B. Orfinger, Fernando Pedraza, James S. Pryke, Fabio O. Roque, Josef Settele, John P. Simaika, Nigel E. Stork, Frank Suhling, Carlien Vorster, Pedro Cardoso. Solutions for humanity on how to conserve insects. Biological Conservation, 2020; 108427 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108427

Ecosystem services are the benefits we humans derive from the workings of the ecological systems of our planet. They are often classified into four types; those that are provisioning, those that are regulating, those that are cultural and those that are supporting. It is a fairly complex topic that requires some study to grasp but it is well worth the effort, for it explains much of our thinking about the vital importance of the natural world to human life and survival. I have written a short paper about it which I hope you will read. It is freely downloadable at www.bettsecology.co.uk/library-and-publications.

Once our dependence on the irreplaceable ecosystem services that insects provide for us such as pollination, waste recycling, keeping pest species within bounds and cycling nutrients is appreciated, it is easier to understand why scientists have become so alarmed and determined to bring the matter to the forefront of the attention of politicians, the media and NGOs. Many of our news media are carrying items in this vein and it is worth remembering that scientists are mostly a sober crowd for whom hyperbole and rash claims are anathema. For example, Le Monde this week published an appeal from 1,000 scientists saying that  “in the face of the ecological crisis, rebellion is necessary” from which I take this quote (translation in the footnote):

Faisant le constat de l’inaction des gouvernements face à l’urgence écologique et climatique, près de 1 000 scientifiques de toutes disciplines appellent, dans une tribune au « Monde », les citoyens à la désobéissance civile et au développement d’alternatives. Nous, soussignés, représentons des disciplines et domaines académiques différents. Les vues que nous exprimons ici nous engagent et n’engagent pas les institutions pour lesquelles nous travaillons. Quels que soient nos domaines d’expertise, nous faisons tous le même constat : depuis des décennies, les gouvernements successifs ont été incapables de mettre en place des actions fortes et rapides pour faire face à la crise climatique et environnementale dont l’urgence croît tous les jours. Cette inertie ne peut plus être tolérée.

Les observations scientifiques sont incontestables et les catastrophes se déroulent sous nos yeux. Nous sommes en train de vivre la sixième extinction de masse, plusieurs dizaines d’espèces disparaissent chaque jour, et les niveaux de pollution sont alarmants à tous points de vue (plastiques, pesticides, nitrates, métaux lourds…)[1]. 

This is strong stuff and we disregard it at our peril. Whether our ecology-ignoring climate-change-denying leaders (we all know who they are) will take this seriously and implement the urgent action needed is moot. We the citizens, though, must act in our daily lives to halt the destruction of biodiversity and the extinction of species whose “services” keep us alive on Earth.

Returning to the two Biological Conservation papers leading me to pen this article, the second “Solutions for humanity on how to conserve insects” offers some wise advice and practical solutions. The paper begins by noting succinctly that, and I quote,:

• Human and insect well-being intertwine;
• The philosophical, psychological, and scientific basis of insect conservation is robust;
• Solutions are available for averting further insect decline;
• Effective localized principles and solutions must now be actioned globally; and
• Engaging civil society on the value of insects for human well-being is urgent. 

So what solutions are on offer to avert further insect decline? Well, readers of my news items and followers of Betts Ecology’s habitat management philosophy and agreed Policies (www.bettsecology.co.uk/policies) will already have a good idea, but to recapitulate:

• Stop manicuring verges, lawns and grassland. Let the vegetation grow for the insects. Cut only after flowers have finished and seeds have fallen, and leave some areas as tussocky grass permanently uncut except for removal of woody colonisers. Treat short grass more like a grazing pasture and don’t remove broad-leaved, low-flowering plants from among the grasses. Avoid mulch mowing. When you mow, cut-and-collect, then create a decomposer habitat pile with the cuttings.

• When landscaping and planting, use native plants, preferably of local genetic origin that suit your soil and local environment. Do not use pesticides or herbicides. Learn to love “weeds” and don’t be afraid to leave a few wild areas of rough scrub. 

• Be relaxed about “tidiness”. Over-conscientious collection of leaves and dead stems is tantamount to robbing many insects of habitat and food. Don’t remove dead branches, rot, knot holes or sap runs from trees unless there is proven danger. These are invaluable habitats for many species. Stack fallen wood in habitat piles for the decomposers. Leave old trees and tree stumps alone because huge numbers of insects depend on them.

• Be sure not to introduce exotic species that may harm native fauna and flora.

• Create insect habitat wherever you can such as the decomposer piles and uncut grassland above, but also use the “insect hotels” sold by garden centres and other outlets, or make them yourself (easy). 

• Try to become aware of lifestyle choices. I am not going to preach here but it is surprising how an awareness of what you buy and how you live every day and the impacts from our actions on the environment and our “carbon footprint” can help the health of the natural world and ourselves.

• Get out into greenspaces, our parks and public open space – medical research has shown it is good for you! Take up a nature-associated hobby such as bird watching, photography or wildlife gardening. Joining a local nature club or a national body such as the Wildlife Trusts or RSPB is very rewarding and will help the wider effort of halting species extinction.

• Follow the advice of the late, great David Bellamy and get down amongst the creepy-crawlies to be aware of their fascinating and ecosystem-supporting lives.

The authors of the Solutions for humanity paper stress that we are falling far short of what is needed for effective insect conservation. Insects, they rightly say “are a major component of the tapestry of life” and we need better to incorporate the conservation of insects into the broader efforts to halt the loss of biodiversity and mitigate climate change.

We need to make the utterly fascinating and absorbing study of entomology much more popular and I agree wholeheartedly with the authors when they say that much more media coverage and far better and more intensive education are urgently needed. There has been some progress made, for example with bees and their plight, but we must go much further. A good start would be to focus on the other iconic groups such as butterflies, beetles, hoverflies and dragonflies. Conservation does work and, as I have often said, it begins at home with the nature on our doorsteps.

To end, I cannot better the final sentence of the Solutions paper:

“Future-proofing insect diversity is now critical, with the benefits far reaching, including continued provision of valuable ecosystem services and the conservation of a rich and impressive component of Earth's biodiversity.”

[1] For non-francophones, a rough translation is: “Taking note of the inaction of governments in the face of the ecological and climatic emergency, nearly 1,000 scientists of all disciplines call in a "citizens’ world forum” for civil disobedience and the development of alternatives. We, the undersigned, represent different disciplines and academic fields. The views we express here bind us and do not bind the institutions we work for. Whatever our areas of expertise, we all make the same observation: for decades, successive governments have been unable to implement strong and rapid actions to deal with the climate and environmental crisis whose urgency constantly grows. This inertia can no longer be tolerated. The scientific observations are indisputable and disasters are happening before our eyes. We are experiencing the sixth mass extinction, dozens of species are disappearing every day, and pollution levels are alarming in every way (plastics, pesticides, nitrates, heavy metals ...)”