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posted by chromas on Tuesday February 12 2019, @02:20PM   Printer-friendly
from the debug-the-planet! dept.

The first global scientific review of insect population decline was published[$] this week in the journal Biological Conservation. This is the first global study of its kind, and the term "impending catastrophe" would not be hyperbolic with respect to the findings:

Highlights

  • Over 40% of insect species are threatened with extinction.
  • Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera and dung beetles (Coleoptera) are the taxa most affected.
  • Four aquatic taxa are imperiled and have already lost a large proportion of species.
  • Habitat loss by conversion to intensive agriculture is the main driver of the declines.
  • Agro-chemical pollutants, invasive species and climate change are additional causes.

For some time now we've been warned by scientists that pollinators are having a hard time, creating problems for humanity WRT many food sources. However, this study paints a far more dire picture with the possibility of irreparable harm to ecosystems on a global level. Without strong insect populations, it's not unreasonable to conclude that humanity may not continue either.


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 12 2019, @04:41PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 12 2019, @04:41PM (#800151)

    Wasn't cockroaches supposed to outlive us all?

    From the summary:

    Over 40% of insect species are threatened with extinction.

    I'm pretty sure that much less than 60% of all insect species are cockroaches, so no contradiction there.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 12 2019, @06:33PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 12 2019, @06:33PM (#800219)

    If humans go extinct then the roaches will have a hard time. No trash, no poop, no tasty humanade...