BBC Focus 02.2020

Q&A

GETTY IMAGES X4 ILLUSTRATION: DAN BRIGHT

CAN WE SAVE THE INSECTS?

We’veteamedupwiththefolksbehindBBCWorldService’sCrowdSciencetoansweryourquestionsononetopic.Youcantuneinto

CrowdScience every Friday evening on BBC World Service, or catch up onlineat w w w.bbc worldser vice.com/crowdscience

CROWDSCIENCE

WHY SHOULD WE BE WORRIED?

Farmerscanthinkmoreabouttheinsectsthatpollinatetheircrops.For

example,thecocoatree– theseedsofwhichgiveuschocolate– is pollinated

byaround 15 speciesofmidge(tinyies).Inordertoincreasecocoayields,

farmersoenremoveothertreesfromthearea,butthisremovestheshade

thatmidgesprefer,andthedecomposingleaflierthattheirlarvaeneedto

grow.Onanindividuallevel,wecanallprotectourownlilebitofgreenery.

Evenif youhavea smallgardenora windowbox,encourageinsectsby

plantingnativeplantsandwildowers,andremember:naturelikesthings

messy and undisturbed. If you need an excuse not to mow the lawn, this is one!

WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUTIT

ARE INSECTS DYING OUT?

MarnieChestertonis thepresenterofCanI savethe

insects?– anepisodeofCrowdSciencethatcanbe

streamedatbbcworldservice.com/crowdscience

Forstarters,theyplaya crucialroleinthefoodchain.Insectsareeatenby

mostbirds,whichcollectivelyconsumeasmanyas 500 milliontonnesof

creepy-crawlieseveryyear.

Insectsalsopollinateourowersandcrops,providingunpaidlabourthat’s

estimatedtobeworthbetween$235bn(£180bnapprox)and$577bn(£443bn

approx).Beesplaythemajorrole,butotherinsectsmakeup 40 percentof

visitstocropowers.Flies,forexample,arecrucialpollinatorsofthecocoa

tree.Insectsarealsousefulattheotherendofthefoodchain.Theybreak

downhugequantitiesofanimal poo and dead animals, recycling nutrients

back into the ground.

It appearsso.A reportpublishedinthejournalBiological

Conservationlastyearwarnedthatmorethan 40 percent

oftheworld’sinsectspeciesarethreatenedwithextinction

overthenextfewdecades.Mothsandbueries,dung

beetles,antsandbeeswerehighlightedasbeingespecially

vulnerable.Entomologistshavesofarnamedaroundone

millioninsectspecies,butthereareanestimatedfive

millioninsectspeciesontheplanet,andmanyofthese

couldbecomeextinctbeforebeingrecordedbyscience.

Habitatloss,pesticides,disease,andclimatechange are all

thought to be to blame for insects’ demise.