The impacts of long-term declines in insect abundance on ecosystem function

The plight of insects has generated worldwide attention from the scientific community and wider public. Recent interest was stimulated by a 27 year study1 suggesting a loss of 75% in the biomass of flying insects from Protected Areas in Germany, quickly labelled as 'ecological Armageddon'. If replicated in other habitats and regions, the scale of this loss is likely to have major implications for the role of insects in ecosystem functioning (e.g. pollination, pest control, nutrient cycling and as a food resource for other species). There is a need to understand the linkages between the status of insect populations and human-driven environmental changes, such as climate change and habitat degradation, and their impact on the resilience of ecosystem functions and services which underpin human well-being.