Philippe Wojazer/Reuters Native bees, butterflies, moths, beetles and aquatic insects are among the insects that have been worst-hit, the scientific review concluded. The first global scientific review of insect population decline was published this week in the journal Biological Conservation and the findings are “shocking,” its authors said. More than 40 percent of insect species are dwindling globally and a third of species are endangered, concluded the peer-reviewed study, which analyzed 73 historical reports on insect population declines. If the decline continues at this rate, insects could be wiped off the face of the Earth within a century. “If insect species losses cannot be halted, this will have catastrophic consequences for both the planet’s ecosystems and for the survival of mankind,” Sánchez-Bayo added.

Source: Huffington Post February 11, 2019 14:15 UTC