Action for insects

They may be tiny, but insects perform vital roles in our ecosystems. Help stop their drastic decline

- Ashton Dreyer

Insects may be small but they make up the bulk of known species on earth. They are also critical to the functioning of terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems, performing vital roles such as pollination, seed dispersal and nutrient cycling.

A new report, Insect Declines and Why They Matter, commissioned by a group of Wildlife Trusts in the south west, has revealed conclusively that drastic declines in insect numbers look set to have far-reaching consequences for wildlife and people.

The new report, authored by invertebrate expert Dave Goulson, Professor of Biology at the University of Sussex, highlights the real and lasting knock-on effects of the decline in insect-eating birds, bats and fish, and also the cost to society in terms of the millions in lost revenue and broken ecosystems.