A study published in Nature was the first to identify the link between rising temperatures and changing land use, resulting in widespread losses to many species of insects around the world.Leading author Dr Charlie Outhwaite (UCL Center for Biodiversity & Environment Research, UCL Biosciences) said: “Many pests appear to be at high risk for human oppression, which is worrying as climate change worsens and agricultural areas continue to grow. Our findings highlight the urgency of measures to conserve natural resources, reduce the risk of cheap agriculture, and reduce emissions to reduce climate change.
“Pest loss can be dangerous not only to the environment, where pests often play a key role in the environment, but can also damage human health and food security, especially through insect losses.”Our findings may indicate the end of the glacier as there is limited evidence in some areas, especially in tropical areas where we have found significant reductions in pest species in the most affected areas.”
Researchers have analyzed the huge database of insect pests and the richness of wildlife species, which comprises three-quarters of a million records of some 20,000 species of insects.The team compared biodiversity to different areas depending on the intensity of agriculture in the area, as well as the historical history of global warming.
They found that in areas with high levels of agriculture and high temperatures, insect infestation was 49% lower than in natural environments with no recorded global warming, while the number of different species was lower by 29%. Tropical areas saw a dramatic decline in the number of pests associated with land use and climate change.
Researchers have found that in the more agricultural areas and the warmer climate, the closer the environment becomes to the losses: when 75% of the earth’s surface is covered by an ecosystem, the insect population decreases by only 7%, compared with a 63% reduction. in comparable areas with only 25% natural cover. Many insects rely on plants for shade on hot days, so loss of natural habitat may leave them more vulnerable to hot weather.
Researchers say that the decline in insect pests as a result of human influence may be greater than their findings suggest that many areas with a long history of human impact would have observed the loss of biodiversity before the start of the study period, and the study also did not describe other drivers’ effects as pollution.
Senior author Dr Tim Newbold (UCL Center for Biodiversity & Environment Research) said: “The environmental impact of cheap agriculture poses a major challenge as we try to keep up with the growing food needs of the population. Earlier we found that pest carriers are at high risk of agricultural expansion, as they appear to be less than 70% of the heavily cultivated areas compared to wildlife sites. it’s still going well. “
First co-author Peter McCann, who conducted the study while graduating with an MSc at the UCL Center for Biodiversity & Environment Research, said: many species have become extinct forever. “
UCL Center for Biodiversity & Environment Research scientists are at the forefront of research on human impact on the world, such as developing a science that supports the IUCN Red List of endangered species, and finding that changes in land use may increase the risk of extinction. outbreaks of diseases such as Covid-19 that jump from animals to humans. The centre’s new People and Nature Lab is developing new ways of doing things, such as civic science programs and practical archeology, to address these global global challenges and promote sustainable human-nature relationships.
Source Journal Reference: Charlotte L. Outhwaite, Peter McCann, Tim Newbold. Agriculture and climate change are reshaping insect biodiversity worldwide. Nature, 2022; DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04644-x
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