Insectageddon: Why We Need Bugs To Survive

Insects are often overlooked, undervalued, or actively disliked - but the truth is they’re among our greatest ecological allies. Take this remarkable Leichhardt’s grasshopper I met in Kakadu. With its striking orange, blue, and black colouring, it looks like something you might find inside a Kinder Surprise egg. Yet, it’s a rare and culturally significant species known to the local Bininj people as Alyurr.

Insects are the unsung heroes that underpin ecosystems across the globe. They pollinate crops, recycle nutrients, decompose organic matter, control pest populations, and serve as essential food for birds and wildlife. But alarmingly, insects are experiencing a rapid and unprecedented decline - a phenomenon scientists have dubbed “insectageddon.”

The Alarming Decline

While comprehensive Australian insect data remains limited, global trends are troubling. A landmark German study recorded a shocking 76% reduction in flying insect biomass over just three decades. An even more alarming decline was reported in Puerto Rico, where rainforest insects plummeted by 98%. Globally, scientists from Australian institutions including the Universities of Sydney and Queensland estimate over 40% of insect species are declining, with a third now endangered. Insect biomass is falling at roughly 2.5% annually, a seemingly small percentage that compounds dramatically - at this rate, insect populations could halve within the next 25 years.

Culprits Behind the Crisis

Several intertwined factors are driving insect decline:

• Pesticides: Widespread use of pesticides - both in agriculture and household gardens - has significantly impacted insect populations. Neonicotinoids, particularly toxic chemicals, have been directly linked to massive insect die-offs and disrupted ecosystems worldwide.

• Climate Change: Rising global temperatures, unpredictable rainfall, and extreme weather events disrupt insect life cycles and habitats. Because insects breathe through tiny openings called spiracles, they're especially vulnerable to dehydration and heat stress induced by climate change.

• Habitat Loss: Urbanisation, deforestation, and intensive agriculture are shrinking and fragmenting insect habitats. In Australia, land clearing for urban expansion and agriculture threatens countless species dependent on native vegetation. Rapid growth in Melbourne and Western Sydney is dramatically reducing local insect biodiversity.

Shifting Baselines and Forgotten Norms

Each generation's perception of what constitutes a healthy ecosystem subtly shifts over time, a phenomenon scientists call "shifting baseline syndrome." As a 57-year-old Australian, I clearly recall summers filled with the deafening hum of cicadas and the messy splatter of insects on our car windscreen when driving at night. But for my teenage children, these once-common experiences are increasingly rare. Their idea of a “normal” environment has fewer insects and quieter nights - a dangerous new baseline is masking the severity and urgency of insect decline.

Ecological Ripple Effects

The implications of losing insects extend far beyond bugs themselves. Insects are foundational to entire food webs. For example, 96% of songbirds feed insects to their young. About 75% of global food crops rely heavily on insect pollinators, such as bees, for their productivity. In Australia alone, insect pollinators significantly support canola production worth approximately $4.5 billion annually.

In addition to pollination, insects break down organic matter, recycle nutrients, maintain soil fertility, and naturally control pests. These critical ecosystem services ensure healthier environments, greater agricultural yields, and reduce our reliance on harmful chemical pesticides.

A Call to Action

The dramatic loss of insect populations must serve as a clarion call for immediate and collective action. We need urgent policy changes and individual commitments to protect and restore natural habitats, dramatically reduce pesticide use, and actively mitigate climate change. Even simple individual actions, such as eliminating insecticides from our homes and gardens, can make a tangible difference.

The crisis of insect decline isn't only about losing stunning species like Alyurr, the Leichhardt’s grasshopper. It's about the collapse of life-support systems on Earth, including those sustaining humanity. This isn't just an environmental concern; it's a matter of survival for all of us.

Leichhardt’s grasshopper in Kakadu.