Germany’s insects continue ‘dramatic’ decline

Germany’s insects continue ‘dramatic’ decline

• Written by  Philipmary  
• Published in Wildlife

Nature reserves and protected areas in Germany have lost 76 per cent of flying insect biomass since 1989

Researchers at the Krefeld Entomological Society in western Germany have calculated the mass of flying insects from dozens of nature reserves and their latest set of figures show a seasonal decline of 76 per cent across all seasons. There is also a worrying drop of 82 per cent in the summer – the high season for insects indicating that the highest losses occur when biomass is highest during a season.

What is causing the drop? Weather and climatic changes seemed to have little bearing on the figures. Land use change didn’t seem to fit the decline either. In fact, in the areas studied, forest have increased in size and number, while grassland and water bodies have stayed the same. Instead, the researchers hypothesise that larger-scale factors must be involved, such as pesticides and agricultural intensification.