Insect decline: causes and consequences

In short: Insect decline describes the worldwide, sometimes dramatic drop in insect populations and diversity over recent decades. Since insects play a key role in ecosystems, their decline has far-reaching consequences.

In more detail: Several factors often act together and reinforce each other.

In detail

• Habitat loss: Intensive agriculture and increasing land sealing significantly destroy insects’ natural habitats.
• Pesticides: Insecticides, but also certain herbicides, harm insects directly or indirectly through the loss of food plants.
• Monocultures: Large-scale farmland with only one plant species offers insects significantly fewer food sources and nesting sites than diverse landscapes.
• Light pollution: Artificial light at night disrupts the orientation and reproduction of many nocturnal insect species.
• Climate change: Changed temperatures and weather extremes shift habitats and throw plant flowering times and insect activity periods out of balance.
• Pollination: Many crops depend on insect pollination, so their decline also endangers agricultural production.
• Countermeasures: Flower strips, insect-friendly gardens, and avoiding unnecessary pesticides can counteract this on both small and large scales (bienen-und-ameisen-staaten, nahrungskette-und-oekosystem).