Global insect decline is the result of wilful political failure: A battle plan for entomology
Abstract The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment assessed ecosystem change, human wellbeing and scientific evidence for sustainable use of biological systems. Despite intergovernmental acknowledgement of the problem, global ecological decline has continued, including declines in insect biodiversity, whi...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2022-10-01
|
| Series: | Ecology and Evolution |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9417 |
| _version_ | 1811213136710074368 |
|---|---|
| author | Philip Donkersley Louise Ashton Greg P. A. Lamarre Simon Segar |
| author_facet | Philip Donkersley Louise Ashton Greg P. A. Lamarre Simon Segar |
| author_sort | Philip Donkersley |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment assessed ecosystem change, human wellbeing and scientific evidence for sustainable use of biological systems. Despite intergovernmental acknowledgement of the problem, global ecological decline has continued, including declines in insect biodiversity, which has received much media attention in recent years. Several roadmaps to averting biological declines have failed due to various economic and political factors, and so biodiversity loss continues, driven by several interacting human pressures. Humans are innately linked with nature but tend to take it for granted. The benefits we gain from the insect world are broad, yet aversion or phobias of invertebrates are common, and stand firmly in the path of their successful conservation. Providing an integrated synthesis for policy teams, conservation NGOs, academic researchers and those interested in public engagement, this article considers: (1) The lack of progress to preserve and protect insects. (2) Examples relating to insect decline and contributions insects make to people worldwide, and consequently what we stand to lose. (3) How to engage the public, governmental organizations and researchers through “insect contributions to people” to better address insect declines. International political will has consistently acknowledged the existence of biodiversity decline, but apart from a few narrow cases of charismatic megafauna, little meaningful change has been achieved. Public values are reflected in political willpower, the progress being made across the world, changing views on insects in the public should initiate a much‐needed political sea‐change. Taking both existing activity and required future actions, we outline an entomologist's “battle plan” to enormously expand our efforts and become the champions of insect conservation that the natural world needs. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T05:40:42Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-24a7919111c34fb092946e559117fb0e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-7758 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T05:40:42Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-24a7919111c34fb092946e559117fb0e2022-12-22T03:45:39ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582022-10-011210n/an/a10.1002/ece3.9417Global insect decline is the result of wilful political failure: A battle plan for entomologyPhilip Donkersley0Louise Ashton1Greg P. A. Lamarre2Simon Segar3Lancaster Environment Centre Lancaster University Lancaster UKSchool of Biological Sciences The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong SAR ChinaFaculty of Science, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences University of South Bohemia Ceske Budejovice Czech RepublicHarper Adams University Newport UKAbstract The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment assessed ecosystem change, human wellbeing and scientific evidence for sustainable use of biological systems. Despite intergovernmental acknowledgement of the problem, global ecological decline has continued, including declines in insect biodiversity, which has received much media attention in recent years. Several roadmaps to averting biological declines have failed due to various economic and political factors, and so biodiversity loss continues, driven by several interacting human pressures. Humans are innately linked with nature but tend to take it for granted. The benefits we gain from the insect world are broad, yet aversion or phobias of invertebrates are common, and stand firmly in the path of their successful conservation. Providing an integrated synthesis for policy teams, conservation NGOs, academic researchers and those interested in public engagement, this article considers: (1) The lack of progress to preserve and protect insects. (2) Examples relating to insect decline and contributions insects make to people worldwide, and consequently what we stand to lose. (3) How to engage the public, governmental organizations and researchers through “insect contributions to people” to better address insect declines. International political will has consistently acknowledged the existence of biodiversity decline, but apart from a few narrow cases of charismatic megafauna, little meaningful change has been achieved. Public values are reflected in political willpower, the progress being made across the world, changing views on insects in the public should initiate a much‐needed political sea‐change. Taking both existing activity and required future actions, we outline an entomologist's “battle plan” to enormously expand our efforts and become the champions of insect conservation that the natural world needs.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9417cultural ecosystem servicesecosystem servicesentomo‐literacyinsect declinemillennium ecosystem assessment |
| spellingShingle | Philip Donkersley Louise Ashton Greg P. A. Lamarre Simon Segar Global insect decline is the result of wilful political failure: A battle plan for entomology Ecology and Evolution cultural ecosystem services ecosystem services entomo‐literacy insect decline millennium ecosystem assessment |
| title | Global insect decline is the result of wilful political failure: A battle plan for entomology |
| title_full | Global insect decline is the result of wilful political failure: A battle plan for entomology |
| title_fullStr | Global insect decline is the result of wilful political failure: A battle plan for entomology |
| title_full_unstemmed | Global insect decline is the result of wilful political failure: A battle plan for entomology |
| title_short | Global insect decline is the result of wilful political failure: A battle plan for entomology |
| title_sort | global insect decline is the result of wilful political failure a battle plan for entomology |
| topic | cultural ecosystem services ecosystem services entomo‐literacy insect decline millennium ecosystem assessment |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9417 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT philipdonkersley globalinsectdeclineistheresultofwilfulpoliticalfailureabattleplanforentomology AT louiseashton globalinsectdeclineistheresultofwilfulpoliticalfailureabattleplanforentomology AT gregpalamarre globalinsectdeclineistheresultofwilfulpoliticalfailureabattleplanforentomology AT simonsegar globalinsectdeclineistheresultofwilfulpoliticalfailureabattleplanforentomology |