By Boluwatife Adedokun
Insect populations are vanishing at an alarming rate globally, and while agricultural intensification remains a leading cause, a new study reveals that a wide web of interconnected factors is also contributing to the decline.
Researchers from Binghamton University, State University of New York, analyzed over 175 scientific reviews and identified more than 3,000 interconnected links and over 500 hypotheses that explore the causes behind global insect biodiversity loss.
The study, published in BioScience and titled “Meta-synthesis reveals interconnections among apparent drivers of insect biodiversity loss,” builds a comprehensive network showing how various stressors—from land-use change to urban sprawl—combine to threaten insect populations.
Agriculture Tops the List, But It’s More Complex
“Agricultural intensification, such as pesticide use and habitat destruction, remains the most cited driver,” said lead author Christopher Halsch, a postdoctoral researcher at Binghamton. “But we found it’s not just a single cause—these drivers are interconnected, making the decline more complicated than previously thought.”
The research revealed that many potential threats are underrepresented in existing literature. Despite their known impact on biodiversity, drivers such as natural disasters, war, railroads, and human disturbances have been largely ignored in insect decline studies.
Bias Toward Pollinators Leaves Out the Majority
According to Assistant Professor Eliza Grames, a co-author of the study, there’s a disproportionate focus on “charismatic” insects like bees and butterflies. “This bias limits our ability to design effective conservation strategies for lesser-known but ecologically important insect species,” she noted.
The team emphasized that focusing only on pollinators risks excluding the vast majority of insects—many of which play crucial roles in ecosystems but receive little research or conservation attention.
Call for a Systems-Based Conservation Approach
The study argues for a shift from narrow, single-stressor solutions to holistic approaches that recognize the complex network of threats insects face. “Effective insect conservation must manage systems, not just individual threats,” Halsch said.
Conclusion
As global insect populations continue to fall, researchers are urging the scientific and conservation communities to broaden their focus and tackle the insect crisis with a multi-pronged strategy. Ignoring the wide array of drivers could leave many insect species unprotected—and ecosystems out of balance.
