A comprehensive, multi-year study published last week in the journal Nature demonstrated a large decrease in insect biodiversity during the last eleven years, across hundreds of grassland and forest sites within Germany.
Insects are critically important for all aspects of ecosystem function, and this is an extremely worrying trend. Agricultural intensification appears to be among the main reasons for the declines: to conserve the remaining biodiversity, changes in land use are urgently required.
Read the article (in English, requires subscription): https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1684-3
An associated commentary (in English, open access): https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-03241-9
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Robust evidence of declines in insect abundance and biodiversity Data are mounting that document widespread insect losses. A long-term research project now provides the strongest evidence of this so far, and demonstrates the value of standardized monitoring ... |
