Cultivating Biodiversity In Insect Populations
Photo Credit: Erik Ding on Pexels
Cultivating Biodiversity In Insect Populations: Why Our Choices As Gardeners & Farmers Matter In Food Production
If you step outside in springtime in the countryside, it should be positively thrumming with the noises of a healthy and diverse ecosystem of blossoms on trees, native spring flowers blooming, bees, flies, and many other beneficial insects going about their annual business.
This insect activity is crucial for the planet and everything that lives on it. But insect populations across the animal kingdom are in decline with 2% lost each year due to deforestation, climate change, pesticides, and monoculture farming practices.
Why insects matter
We’ve all heard of the circle of life and insects are one of the hugest supporting acts in that circle - 80% of the world's known species are insects.
Not only are they crucial for the pollination and creation of genetic diversity in native plants and crops that feed us humans, but they are also important in their role as nature’s clean-up crew, eating and composting dead organic matter - again crucial for plant life and soil fertility.
Their other big job is to be food for birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians who rely on them to live. A healthy and diverse population of creepy crawlies also help to ensure that no one insect species gets too big for its boots by acting as nature's pest control. An insect Game of Thrones, if you will.
How they are endangered
Humans are clever and impressive beings with the ability to create beautiful things but we are also Earth’s most destructive animals. Through wars and other aggressive acts, humans actively kill more of their own kind than any other animal species.
Not only that but our modern lives have led to innovations that are harming the planet. Climate change and the decline of nature (goodbye insects) are symptoms of an advanced culture that is eating itself out of house and home. Other symptoms also include extreme weather such as droughts and floods and the loss of clean water and food for people around the world, which can only get worse with the further loss of insects.
Photo Credit: Prasanthdas ds on Pexels
How we can help them
Every single change that helps to preserve our insect populations is important, and is never too small.
Ordinary people with gardens or land can help provide and preserve habitats by installing insect hotels, leaving some areas wild, unmown and sown with native wildflowers, not tidying up all the fallen leaves, using lots of varieties of plants, and being careful about what they use on their gardens.
It’s also important to not look at wasps and ants as pests, but more like natural cleaners, policemen, and snacks for the other insects.
Parents have a golden opportunity to learn about insects alongside children and model insect-loving behavior that they will adopt when they grow up and have their own gardens.
Farmers can play their part in helping insect populations to thrive around their farms too. After all, insects are a farmer's best friend at helping the soil, keeping damaging bugs at bay, and good old pollination.
Turning to organic farming is one way to boost insect numbers, as without pesticides many insects would thrive. Phasing out monoculture farming and replacing it with polyculture will aid soil health and attract a variety of beneficial insects, ensuring the long term success of the crops planted.
In many areas these changes may not be viable options but there are still things farmers can do to help the ecosystem on their farms.
The goal is to use the principles of agroecology to create a symbiotic farm with varied habitats so a wide variety of insects will move in. This can be achieved by planting trees and adding to the hedgerows, creating wildflower meadows or areas, leaving some spaces unmown, and by creating well-managed ponds.
The future is in our choices
We are the stewards of our natural world and it relies on our choices now more than it ever has to remain healthy and diverse.
The simple fact of the matter is that without insects there is no food. We should always have that in mind with every choice we make.
So let’s celebrate insects and give them a helping hand.