An Australian scientist has warned that an emerging "insect apocalypse" will have extreme impacts on the environment and humans, according to a recent report by the German news agency DPA.
William Lawrence of Australia's James Cook University says there is growing evidence that insect populations are in rapid decline in many places.
There has been serious concern that the media and even some scientists are increasingly using terms such as the imminent "insect apocalypse" to describe the phenomenon.
Lawrence's statement is not alarmist. Many researchers in the past and more recently have been raising the same warning, and there are many studies to support this conclusion. Although these findings seem to contradict what the public sees. Because insect species as a whole are large and diverse, it is difficult for people to perceive their decline.
The crisis is looming, and the world needs to pay enough attention to it and actively take joint action. Avoid the "insect doomsday" that threatens the earth's ecology.
"Insect Armageddon" is not an alarmist
In April 2019, a report on global insects published in the journal Biological Conservation pointed out:
Currently, 41% of the world's insect species are in decline, and the total biomass of insects is declining at a rate of 2.5% per year.
Among them, 53% of butterfly species have declined in the past 10 years, and 46% of bee species have also shown a declining trend. The situation is worst in the order Trichoptera, with 68% of its species in decline.
Dragonflies and beetles experienced large declines in 37% and 49% of species, respectively.
If the insect's rapid decline continues, it could become extinct within a century.
Another study published in the "Nature" journal this year showed that compared with areas with the least impact of climate change and relatively little farming, areas dominated by high-intensity agricultural production and significant climate warming have reduced the number of insects by 49%, and Insect species decreased by 27%.
These findings point to global declines in insect numbers, species, and abundance (the relative number of species in a community).
Biologist Edward O. Wilson once said that if human beings disappeared suddenly, the earth would return to the state of rich species balance 10,000 years ago. If insects disappear, the earth's ecology will fall into chaos.
Therefore, the "insect doomsday" is actually the ecological doomsday of the earth.
Insects are vital to human survival
Numerous insects also play an integral variety of roles in ecology, including suppliers (providing food for a variety of organisms, such as birds), decomposers (such as dung beetles), pest controllers (such as spiders and dragonflies), pollinators (such as bees), soil engineers (such as ants and springtails), etc. These functions of insects can not only maintain the survival of human beings but also ensure the balance of the ecological chain.
If there are fewer dung beetles on the earth, the earth will become a garbage dump. There are more than 20,000 species of dung beetles in the world, distributed on any continent except Antarctica.
This natural cleaner not only contributes to a relatively clean environment for humans and other living things but also deters other feces-eating pests.
Of course, the role of insects is not only practical to humans and the natural world but also adds romance to human life.
If insects are reduced, the poetry of human life will also be digested and erased. For example, the decline of fireflies will result in fewer opportunities for people to appreciate the multi-colored fluorescent light emitted by fireflies.
Protecting insects is a shared responsibility worldwide.
It is very important to protect the earth's ecology to take active actions to leave enough habitats for them.
The good symbiosis between humans and insects can not only make people's material lives rich but also make people live romantically.
