Insect Conservation Flashcards
how many British insects listed as endangered, rare, scarce, threatened etc. ?
almost 2000
Why is it difficult to identify species critical to conserve?
many species + lack of funding resources and support
what is used to identify priority species?
risk of extinction (linked to IUCN categories)
how many species evaluated?
only 5993
how many species listed as ‘data deficient’?
1702 species
why is complicated to conserve insects?
- hard to categorise threats insects are facing
- if can be identified, used for conservation management
- understanding pop data or risk of extinction challenging as: no. of insects, seasonal beh, natural fluctuations in pop., local effects of weather
What species are conservation efforts usually more focused on?
better-known insects, e.g. butterflies
Problem with conserving insects?
insects = secondary to more charismatic animals and flowering plants
human impacts = threatening survival of 1/4 insects species
threats:
- habitat destruction (tropics = greatest insect diversity)
- invasive alien organisms
- certain biological control practices
- use of pathogens
- genetically modified crops
- global climate change
threats interact, causing synergistic effects
considerations for conservation
finer scale features, e.g. microclimate, food needs, + presence of mutualists
all resources needed by all life stages
connectivity and landscape features that may also pose barriers to dispersal
species operating in metapopulations rather than populations
climate change will alter ranges + synchrony
more threats …
- non-native species pose threats to insects by displacing them directly or changing access to resources
- pesticides + pollutants have highly detrimental effects on insects
- overexploitation or over-collecting unlikely to be significant threat
- many at risk species protected by legislation, but collection must be undertaken responsibly
Practicalities of Conservation
- habitat enhancement or restoration possible if requirements are understood
- most involves establishment of plants as food or removal of non-native plants
- burning, grazing and mowing often used, but experimentation determines best approach
- many insect habitats plagioclimaxes + undergo traditional management regimes
- return to more traditional agricultural practices likely to benefit insects considerably
Re-introduction + ex situ conservation
- re-intro or augmentation conservation programmes
- augmentation can be other wild pop or from captive-bred individuals
- re-intro always complex + success depends on habitat released to
- post-release monitoring = essential
- captive rearing may be complex, esp of those w/ more complex ecologies
- release of individuals requires some planning and trial- life stage, numbers, timing (season + day)
- monitoring fundamental, but stage that can be monitored may only be available for a short space of time
- monitoring should be long-term and non-destructive
- monitoring protocol must account for time of day, weather conditions, observer ability, and be adaptable
Conservation research questions
- To assess the species richness and
composition of an area - To understand habitat or environmental
associations of one or more species - To understand the impact of environmental
change on one or more species - For rare, threatened, or ecologically
important species - monitor changes in
population size/community structure over
time
Insects as flagship species
- insects generally have poorer status w/ public - detrimental to conservation efforts
- helped by promoting as flagship species, attractive species used to promote the group fr wider conservation education
- Flagship species usually attractive + charismatic species, so insect flagships mostly butterflies, dragonflies + beetles
- publicity + education = important factor for insect conservation
