Insects at risk

Le Temps reports Swiss insect populations are in sharp decline, with roughly 60% of studied species now threatened or potentially threatened

A 2020 meta-analysis found land insects worldwide are dropping about 0.9% a year, adding up to a near-24% fall over three decades. In Switzerland the effect is already visible up the food chain — insect-eating bird numbers in rural areas have fallen 60% since 1990.

The paper cites habitat loss, pesticides, climate change and light pollution as the main drivers; the country has lost 95% of its dry meadows and 82% of its wetlands in a century. Scientists warn the decline threatens pollination and the wider ecosystems Swiss agriculture depends on.

 

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