Planet of Insects

The planet of insects is changing. The balance of the ecosystem has been disrupted in the last century at a speed never before seen in human history.

We are increasingly consuming the Earth's freshwater resources. We have produced and discarded so much plastic that future generations will find it in sediments. Every year, we release large quantities of chemicals into nature. Consciously or unconsciously, we are displacing species.

All of this also affects insects. And everything that affects insects affects us too. The decrease in the number of insect species or the extinction of insects will lead to enormous consequences, like ripples in water, within the ecosystem.

Fortunately, we will never manage to eradicate all insects. But it would be beneficial for us to get to know these small friends better and to take more care of them. Although they have been on Earth for 479 million years, they are now in trouble.

Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson is a professor of conservation biology at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) and a scientific advisor at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA).