• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Meet the Team
  • Contact us
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home News Environment

‘Terrifying’ decline in insects ‘demands a political and a societal response’

Many drivers have noticed what is known as the "windscreen phenomenon", something highlighted by Jeremy Clarkson in his Amazon show.

Joe Mellor by Joe Mellor
2022-05-05 14:41
in Environment, News
Credit;PA

Credit;PA

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

A citizen science project asking people to count squashed bugs on their car number plates suggests flying insects have declined nearly 60 per cent in less than 20 years.

The “windscreen phenomenon” is anecdotal evidence from drivers that they collect fewer moths, flies, aphids, bees and flying beetles on their windscreens than they did in the past.

Now a survey led by Kent Wildlife Trust and Buglife has attempted to quantify that and gather more data on what is happening to bugs in the UK, against a backdrop of global falls in the number of insects.

Crucial to environment

Bugs are crucial to a healthy functioning environment, pollinating most of the world’s crops, performing natural pest control, breaking down organic matter and returning nutrients into the soil, conservationists said.

Counting insects estimates how they are faring in our towns and countryside but also shows how the wider natural world is doing.

The “Bugs Matter” survey asked members of the public to record the number of flying insects squashed on their number plate in 2019 and 2021, and compared it with data from a survey led by the RSPB using the same method in 2004.

Before making an essential journey in their vehicle, drivers cleaned their number plate, and afterwards counted the insects squashed on it using a “splatometer grid” supplied as part of the survey.

RelatedPosts

Ministers to launch probe into the BBC’s ‘Islingtonian left-wing bias’

Brits react to new ‘affordable foods’ list

Top Tory STANDS BY fellow party MP convicted of abusing 15-year-old boy

Watch: Murdoch monopoly isn’t taking Aussie election result well

They then submitted a photo and count details via the Bugs Matter app and the data was converted into “splats per mile” to make it comparable between journeys.

The number of insects sampled on vehicle number plates fell by 59 per cent between 2004 and 2021, the survey found.

Significant drops

The counts of insects such as moths, butterflies, flies, flying beetles and ants, aphids, wasps, bees and lacewings differed across the UK, with England seeing the biggest declines of 65 per cent compared with 17 years ago.

Wales recorded 55 per cent fewer insects, Scotland saw a drop of 28 per cent compared with 2004 figures, and there were too few surveys in Northern Ireland to draw separate conclusions, the conservationists said.

Though the data showed significant drops in insects, drawing robust conclusions about long-term trends in insect populations would require data from multiple years, over long time periods, and over large spatial scales.

But the Bugs Matter citizen science survey has demonstrated that it has the potential to generate such data, they said.

Matt Shardlow, chief executive at Buglife, said: “This vital study suggests that the number of flying insects is declining by an average of 34 per cent per decade, this is terrifying.

“We cannot put off action any longer, for the health and wellbeing of future generations this demands a political and a societal response, it is essential that we halt biodiversity decline – now.”

Alarming rate

Paul Hadaway, director of conservation at Kent Wildlife Trust, said the declines in insects reflected the enormous threats to and loss of wildlife more broadly across the country.

“These declines are happening at an alarming rate and without concerted action to address them we face a stark future,” he warned.

“Insects and pollinators are fundamental to the health of our environment and rural economies.

“We need action for all our wildlife now by creating more and bigger areas of habitats, providing corridors through the landscape for wildlife and allowing nature space to recover.”

– To take part in the Bugs Matter survey this summer people can visit: https://www.buglife.org.uk/get-involved/surveys/bugs-matter

Related: Brits think politicians’ hypocrisy will hinder climate change battle

Since you are here

Since you are here, we wanted to ask for your help.

Journalism in Britain is under threat. The government is becoming increasingly authoritarian and our media is run by a handful of billionaires, most of whom reside overseas and all of them have strong political allegiances and financial motivations.

Our mission is to hold the powerful to account. It is vital that free media is allowed to exist to expose hypocrisy, corruption, wrongdoing and abuse of power. But we can't do it without you.

If you can afford to contribute a small donation to the site it will help us to continue our work in the best interests of the public. We only ask you to donate what you can afford, with an option to cancel your subscription at any point.

To donate or subscribe to The London Economic, click here.

The TLE shop is also now open, with all profits going to supporting our work.

The shop can be found here.

You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER .

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending on TLE

  • All
  • trending
Abdollah

‘Rescue us’: Afghan teacher begs UK to help him escape Taliban

CHOMSKY: “If Corbyn had been elected, Britain would be pursuing a much more sane course”

What If We Got Rid Of Prisons?

More from TLE

Midwife stunned to find she is now teaching student nurse she delivered as a baby

Tory MP uses maiden Commons speech to call for a Brexit beer

Sirloin with Crispy Noodle and Leafy Green Salad

Almost 100 care homes record Covid-19 outbreaks in just 24 hours

Lotto Results for Wednesday 15 December 2021 Lottery Tonight’s winning numbers

PMQs – Black lives matter but not as much as fat cats getting fatter

How the UK has worked with the European Union on research projects

Furious complaints over BBC correspondent’s Harry and William comments during funeral

Yorkshire village made famous for Heartbeat has been labelled ‘racist’ for selling golliwogs

‘Highest taxes since the war’: Papers report on PM’s broken manifesto pledges

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.