Scientists have announced the beginning of “environmental Armageddon”
MOSCOW, 19 Jul — RIA Novosti. A group of researchers from Germany, the Netherlands and the UK recorded a reduction by three quarters the number of winged insects throughout Germany. This constitutes a serious threat to life on Earth, given the important role these creatures play in the food chain, and pollinating plants, according to a paper published in Plos One.
Since 1989, the etymologists using a tent traps in 63 regions of Germany and gathered more than 1,5 thousand samples of insects. It was found that the total weight of captured insects for 27 years dropped by 76%. Scientists say that although the measurements were taken in nature reserves in Germany, these data are valid for all areas where the agriculture is developed.
The researchers did not mention the reason for such a sharp drop in the number of insects, however, suggest that the most likely factors — the destruction of their natural habitat, pesticide use and global warming.
“Insects make up around two thirds of all life on Earth, and now we are seeing some horrendous slowdown. It seems that humanity is making vast tracts of land unfit for most life forms and are currently on the road to ecological Armageddon. If we lose the insects, then everything will collapse,” said Professor Dave Goulson from the University of Sussex who took part in the study.