We don’t know anything about 99% of the world’s pests, this is a big problem

Despite our great impact on the planet, human beings are not dominant species. Each of the earth has about 1.4 billion insectsIt is 70 times higher than the total human population.

Although InsectMore than that, The most highly and wide class of animal kingdomUnfortunately known about them. Since they are necessary Food productionThe shortage of key species that occasionally complained is a matter of concern.

But, Is this really “Insect Don”? According to a study led by the United Kingdom Environmental and Waterproofing Center (UKEH) and London’s Zoology Association (ZL), we do not know.

Only 1% of insect species are well known

According to the study, about one million types of insects are known worldwide. Of these, only 12,100 have been assessed The red list of threatened creatures IUCN .

In those who have been assessed, Is considered 20% threatening. But as less than 1% of species have been evaluated, the study is correctly asked: “The remaining 99%?”

Out of North America and Europe The insect species are simply monitored. In fact, researchers say that there are very little known about the insects of Asia and South America and that there are no data on Africa.

Butterflies, bees and dragonflys monopolize attention

This week, the UK butterfly monitoring program revealed it 2024 is one of the worst registered years to do Butterflies. History is similar in Europe and North America.

Dragonflays and Bees They are well studied in these regions. It is believed 16% of the family of Dragonflyls is at risk of perishing. Since the 1990s, studies have demonstrated the loss of 60% of the population of bees.

But these are not the only ones Combinations In our environment, or the only useful insects for our presence.

“There is a keen interest in monitoring attractive creatures such as bees and butterflies,” says Dr. Rob Cook, the environmental model of UKH and the Main Co -author of the study. “But Some people worry about unpleasant insectsThey also benefit us. “

In spite of its frightened appearance, Digaretas are the best for insect controlEspecially in fruit trees, they remove the aphids without damaging the fruit. Hated Cockroach It is incredibly important for soil health and decay. However, this is one of the lowest educated insects in the world.

How do we know which insect species are threatened?

Undoubtedly, many types of insects fall. The Habitat lossUse Pesticosters And Less in food sources It is difficult to be insect in the modern world.

But underlined that teachers need to increase our knowledge How the insect affects them and manBefore becoming late.

“We need to find out what the fall of the insect is widespread and what your reason is,” Cook says. “Like the challenge A giant puzzle, in which thousands of pieces are missingBut we have no decades to wait to fill these gaps and then act. “

The authors of the study proposed a new structure to establish how different drivers are affected For local species. Through the combination of many data sources, they believe in creating the best image of pests world health, despite the lack of the available data.

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“With a million species described, it takes more time to find out what is best for each species,” says Dr. Charlotte Othwaite and the Main Co -author of the study. “Instead of, We would like to find large -scale actions that benefit large number of insects. To do this, we need to use all the information we have. “

The next step is to start trying this approach, and how a variety of insects respond to various threats using a series of research methods. The expansion of its results will help to understand the current health of the world’s world’s population of insects.