They are essential for our well-being. They pollinate a third of our crops and help make healthy, living soil. We must protect them better and learn from ideas that have already been developed in South Africa and elsewhere to conserve them. So says Stellenbosch University insect expert Prof Michael Samways, lead author of a new review paper in the scientific journal Biological Conservation.
“We will never be able to conserve every insect population or even every species. That said, real, practical possibilities exist from across the world on how we can avoid further insect population loss and species extinction,” says Prof Samways, one of the founding fathers of the discipline of insect conservation. Improved regulation and prevention of environmental risks, and greater recognition of protected areas alongside agro-ecology are also key.
“Protected areas can be extended outside proclaimed borders using large-scale ecological networks of interconnected conservation corridors, which has so far been highly effective for insect conservation in South Africa,” adds Prof Samways, author of a new book, Insect Conservation: a Global Synthesis.
Bu hikaye FarmBiz dergisinin April 2020 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye FarmBiz dergisinin April 2020 sayısından alınmıştır.
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