Researchers in Aberdeen warn of 'insect apocalypse'

Current UK conservation policies fail to protect important insect species, according to new research from the University of Aberdeen.

The team analysed key conservation policies already in place and found that some groups of insects including butterflies and moths were more 'stringently protected' than others, such as flies and bees. These species are known to be equally important and have undergone recent known extinctions in the UK and Ireland.

Natalie Duffus, the lead author, explains: "Insects fulfil a range of vital roles in the ecosystem, including pollination, pest control, and decomposition.

"These services are important not only for maintaining healthy ecosystems, but also for a range of human needs, for example crop pollination by insects contributes directly toward food security."

The study evaluated current conservation policies in the UK and Ireland including the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, Wildlife Order 1985 and Wildlife Act 1976. It found that insects were largely overlooked when compared with the protection to mammals.

Ms Duffus adds: "Policies such as those evaluated in our study are the strictest way in which protection can be enforced. However, our study shows that these policies are failing in doing their job by being biased and not accounting for the breadth of insect biodiversity.

"We hope our findings will stimulate policy revisions and amendments and fuel the push for better initiatives for insect biodiversity."

Research Fellow at the University of Aberdeen and Project Lead Dr Juliano Morimoto said: "This research is vital as it shows our policies are failing to protect the majority of insects, and those insects that are protected, may not be the ones in most need.

"Our study reveals this major gap in our legislation and is likely to reflect a global pattern. Such policy gaps, if overlooked, can have catastrophic damage to the sustainable future of our societies."

Insects provide a wealth of daily resources, from chocolates to cold remedies, but Dr Morimoto thinks peoples' 'aversion' to bugs could be a contributing factor. 

"Look, we're not saying that we shouldn't protect those species that are charismatic, we should," he continues. "But we're saying is that we're overlooking those that might not be as famous with general audiences, but they still a substantial role in making our ecosystem healthy."