Statements

On March 3, 2023, an international team of researchers warned of the impact of Russia’s war of aggression on freshwater resources, water infrastructure, and the environment in Ukraine. Now, with the blasting of the Kakhovka Dam on June 6, 2023, the worst-case scenario has become a reality. In a joint statement, Dr. Oleksandra Shumilova of the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) and Prof. Dr. Klement Tockner, Director General of the Senckenberg Society for Nature Research (SGN), draw attention to the drastic consequences of this ecological catastrophe.

Water is increasingly being used as a weapon in armed conflicts, and this is particularly true of the war of aggression in Ukraine. The blasting of the dam of one of the largest reservoirs in Europe is unprecedented in its extent and devastating in its impact.

Eastern Ukraine is one of the world’s most heavily industrialized regions, with an extensive and complex water infrastructure that includes irrigation systems, drinking water pipelines, sewage systems, and pumping stations. These have been systematically damaged or completely destroyed on a large scale since the outbreak of the war, in some cases already since 2014.

Oil pollution is dramatic enough in itself. But it gets even worse: Released petroleum products are not simply diluted and seep into the ground but are absorbed by living organisms such as plants and animals. Since the affected landscape is virtually flat and the water can spread over a wide area, a huge oil film is formed. In addition, since the beginning of the war, untreated wastewater has entered the rivers; pollutants and radioactive substances such as those accumulated after the Chernobyl reactor accident in 1986 are released from the sediments; areas contaminated by munitions, war equipment, and destroyed industrial plants are flooded; and disused mining areas are inundated. Thus, irrigation canals serve as dumping grounds for war equipment and munitions waste. 

This toxic cocktail will continue to massively pollute water bodies and groundwater for decades to come. Moreover, the pollutants are deposited in the soil and sediments and accumulate through the food chain.

However, we lack verifiable data and information to reliably assess the extent of the destruction and its consequences. Nevertheless, a dramatic impact on biodiversity and nature reserves has already become apparent. While upstream of the dam huge areas are drying up, causing a massive die-off of fish and other aquatic organisms, widespread flooding is occurring downstream, destroying valuable ecosystems of national and international importance. The Dnipro Delta boasts a wealth of islands, riparian forests, and reed beds – a hotspot of biodiversity. More than 100 of the plant and animal species native to the area are included on various Red Lists. Overall, 160,000 birds and more than 20,000 other wild animals are likely threatened in their existence by the explosion of the hydroelectric power plant.

It is certain that the consequences will be felt for decades to come, with severe impacts on the environment – including the coastal areas of the Black Sea – and on the supply of clean drinking water for millions of people as well as water for agriculture and fisheries. And last but not least, the situation poses a threat to global nuclear security. 

The wanton destruction of civilian infrastructure is contrary to the Geneva Convention. We must therefore do everything we can to avert even greater damage and to quickly repair what has been destroyed already. This will be a monumental task for Ukraine and the international community!

Global Insect Declines and the Potential Erosion of Vital Ecosystem Services 

In preparation for the G7 summit in June 2020, the science academies of the G7 countries and six other countries developed joint statements – including the subject of insect protection. Prof Dr. Katrin Böhning-Gaese, director of the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Center, contributed to the statement.
 

Executive Summary 

A great majority of insects provide unique and irreplaceable ecosystem services, including pollination, recycling, and nutrient provisioning. Striking declines in diversity and abundance, in some cases upwards of 75% in less than 30 years, have been documented in insect communities. Because loss and degradation of habitats and other contributing factors usually cross political boundaries, international cooperation is essential to mitigate or reverse such declines.

Human activities clearly are the major causes of declines in the abundance and diversity of animals, including insects [1]. Insects occupy virtually all terrestrial habitats. Their spectacular diversity reflects their small size and short life cycles, which allow them to partition habitats and resources and adopt specialized lifestyles. Their specialization, however, makes insects vulnerable to changing environmental conditions. Hence, it is important to assess and ideally to predict where and how anthropic pressure affects insects, in order to support policy measures for their conservation and sustainable ecosystem services.

Joining with others [2] who have argued for specific measures to protect insect biodiversity, our academies urge implementation and public support of actions outlined at the end of this statement.

The „insect apocalypse“ – is it real?

Long-term studies have documented declines in the abundance and biodiversity of insects around the world, including a 75% decline in the total biomass of flying insects in Germany [3,4] and a 35% decline in global abundance of butterflies and moths [5] over 27-year and 40-year periods, respectively. These reports have raised concerns about a so-called „insect apocalypse“ and generated dire predictions of global ecological collapse, while some other publications on this topic have been criticized for methodological irregularities or limitations [6]. Long-term datasets derived from standardized sampling methods are essential for detecting declines, especially species with boom-and-bust population fluctuations [7].

Extinction risks have been evaluated for fewer than 1% of the described insect species [8]. Carrying out such evaluations is complicated by the vast numbers and diversity, small size, concealed habits, and complex life cycles of insects. Moreover, there is a critical shortage of taxonomists and of support for their work [9]. Consequently, the roughly one million known insect species likely represent less than 20% of all extant species [10]. Moreover, whereas most insect diversity resides in the tropics, most documented declines have been recorded in northern temperate regions. Thus, the existing estimates may not reflect global threat levels.

Consequences of decline and extinction 

The impact of an overall global decline in insect numbers on human health and well-being is obscured by widespread misperceptions that insects are generally harmful. Indeed, only about 1% of all known insect species cause crop losses of 20-80% globally, enough food to feed a billion people, and fewer than 1% of mosquito species transmit diseases that kill at least 750,000 people annually.

An overwhelming majority of insect species contribute positively to ecosystem services and goods that are of tremendous value to humans. These benefits include provisioning services (food, raw materials, medicines), regulating services (pollination, decomposition, nutrient cycling, water purification, pest control, soil stability and fertility), and cultural services (recreation, education, scientific research). Nearly 90% of flowering plant species, including almost 75% of the world’s major crops, benefit from pollinators to reproduce via fruit and seed production, and most of these pollinators are insects [11]. The annual global value of insect pollination services, provided not only by bees but also by other insects [12], has been estimated to exceed $200 billion [13], and the demand for resources that require insect pollination is expected to increase.

Insect antagonists (e.g. predators and parasitoids) of plant-feeding insects play a critical role in sustaining plant communities, and their judicious use for biological control has been key in reducing dependence on insecticides for pest management. Nutrient cycling, soil formation, and even water purification are also influenced by insects. In many regions, termites break down dead wood and dung, thereby promoting soil fertility by recycling nutrients. In Nordic lakes, billions of midges emerging from their larval habitats link aquatic and terrestrial energy and nutrient cycles, moving vast amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus to fertilize terrestrial habitats. Insects are also major prey for freshwater fishes, amphibians, birds, and bats throughout the world. The 40% decline in the abundance of North American birds documented between 1966 and 2013 has been attributed in part to declines in the abundance of the insects on which they prey [14].

Human causes of insect decline 

Among the most consequential human impacts affecting insect populations are habitat loss and degradation associated with agriculture, urbanization and residential development, as well as resource extraction. Habitat losses through land conversion are occurring in areas where insect diversity is highest [15]. Habitat quality is further affected by the use of agrochemicals, particularly insecticides. Agrochemical residues that retain insecticidal activity have adverse impacts on non-target insect species. Furthermore, the conversion of natural communities for agriculture reduces species diversity, including that of insects, and threatens adjacent ecosystems by creating barriers to dispersal and exposing insects to pesticides, invasive species, heavy metals, and light pollution.

Human-mediated redistribution of insect species, both deliberate and accidental, has led to the decline of many native species through competition with, and/or displacement by, invasive species. For example, the accidental introduction of an Argentine ant species into the unique vegetational community of the Cape provinces of South Africa led to the decline of indigenous ant species adapted to disperse the seeds of many plants.

Changing patterns of temperature and rainfall, caused by rising levels of greenhouse gases, are altering species distributions. For some species, populations have increased and ranges have expanded. For example, bark beetles in North America have become more abundant because of warmer winters, resulting in defoliation of coniferous forests. For many other species, climate change directly or indirectly can cause declines. Thus, Alpine and Arctic bumblebees are experiencing range compression, a result of decreasing suitability of habitats. Moreover, the increased frequency, intensity, and duration of extreme weather events have disrupted food- webs, producing seasonal mismatches between specialized insect pollinators and the plants that cannot reproduce without them.

Inappropriate use of pesticide applications can result in massive mortality of non-target insects, many of which are beneficial, often outside the treated area. And electrocution devices (“bug-zappers”), which are extremely inefficient at killing their target species (primarily mosquitoes), kill millions of non-target, beneficial species.

Finally, indirect drivers (e.g. markets, policies and societal awareness) are influencing ecosystems. Global markets for agricultural commodities, food, fiber or wood benefit human societies, but they also incentivize intensive production at the cost of insect populations and ecosystem services [16]. Agricultural and forest policies are not focusing enough on halting declines in biodiversity [17].

A call to action 

Insect declines are global challenges that require international collaboration, as (i) the geographic distributions of threatened species often cross international borders and (ii) the globalization of trade has resulted in an increase in the number of accidentally introduced invasive species that may displace important native species. The planet is undergoing a massive urbanization, the conversion of wildlands to agriculture, and other human activities that degrade or destroy unique habitats. These changes alter food webs, resulting in the displacement or elimination of plants and animals, including insect communities. It is essential to protect threatened habitats, because when they disappear or become degraded, their insect inhabitants may be lost. Other major challenges to addressing insect declines are the paucity of data for documenting trends, the difficulty of identifying the various causal factors, and insufficient numbers of knowledgeable entomologists and ecologists. There is an urgent need to identify species at greatest risk, factors that threaten their survival, and consequences of their loss.

Protecting insect biodiversity is critically important for maintaining the integrity of managed and natural ecosystems, which are essential for water supplies, global agriculture and food security and safety. Finding solutions requires coordinated effort among many groups, including scientists and scientific societies, nongovernmental conservation organizations, policymakers at many levels, federal funding and regulatory agencies, science communicators, corporations, and private citizens around the world.

Recommendations

Actions recommended by our Academies include the following:

1) Encourageandsupportlong-termmonitoringofinsect species and biomass to identify stressors by means of (i) new technologies such as artificial intelligence, environmental DNA analysis and rapid whole-genome sequencing for species identification and monitoring and (ii) museum datamining.

2) Promote citizen science through support for (i) environmental and conservation movements and education of citizens to identify and monitor insects and

(ii) informing the public, including farmers, about the importance of insects and necessary changes in human behavior.

3) Identify and protect critical habitats at risk, in order to maintain communities of insect species in well- functioning food webs. Protected habitats should be large enough to withstand adverse influences of adjacent lands; declines have already been documented in many reserves designed before the importance of adjacent lands was recognized. Designs of reserves must also anticipate changes in habitat suitability associated with changing climatic conditions, and frequency of extreme weather events.

4) Adoptmitigationandadaptationstrategiestoaddress climate change and its effects, which are predicted to be severe drivers of insect shifts and declines in the future.

5) Regulate and incentivize changes in human activities that exact excessive tolls on insect communities and/or internalize the costs of non-target effects and other environmental degradation, especially for actions that do not appreciably improve human well-being. Develop and support eco-friendly (and thus insect-friendly) land-use systems.

Academia Brasiliera de Ciéncias, Brazil

Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina, Germany
Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften

Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, Italy

The Royal Society of Canada, Canada

Global Young Academy

Science Council of Japan, Japan

Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

Indian National Science Academy, India

Korean Academy of Science and Technology, Korea

Academié des Sciences, France

Indonesian Academy of Sciences, Indonesia

Nigerian Academy of Science, Nigeria

The Royal Society, United Kingdom

The National Academy of Sciences, United States of America

References

1) IPBES Global Assessment on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (2019) https://ipbes.net/global- assessment

2) Harvey JA, Heinen R, Armbrecht I, et al. (2020) International scientists formulate a roadmap for insect conservation and recovery. Nature Ecology & Evolution doi.org/10.1038/s41559-019-1079-8

3) Powney GD, Carvell C, Edwards M, et al. (2019) Widespread losses of pollinating insects in Britain. Nature Communications 10:1018 doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-08974- 9

4) Seibold S, Gossner MM, Simons NK, et al. (2019) Arthropod decline in grasslands and forests is associated with landscape-level drivers. Nature 574:671-674 doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1684-3

5) Dirzo R, Young HS, Galetti M, et al. (2014) Defaunation in the Anthropocene. Science 345: 401-406 doi.org/10.1126/science.1251817

6) Montgomery GA, Dunn RR, Fox R, et al. (2019) Is the insect apocalypse upon us? How to find out. Biological Conservation 108327 doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.108327

7) Macgregor CJ, Williams JH, Bell JR, et al. (2019) Moth biomass increases and decreases over 50 years in Britain. Nature Ecology & Evolution 3: 1645-1649 doi.org/10.1038/s41559-019-1028-6

8) Eisenhauer N, Bonn A, Guerra CA (2019) Recognizing the quiet extinction of invertebrates. Nature Communications 10: 50 doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-07916- 1

9) Wilson EO (2017) Biodiversity research requires more boots on the ground. Nature Ecology & Evolution 1: 1590- 1591 doi.org/10.1038/s41559-017-0360-y

10) Stork NE, McBroom J, Gely C, and Hamilton AJ (2015) New approaches narrow global species estimates for beetles, insects, and terrestrial arthropods. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 112: 7519- 7523 doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1502408112

11) Klein AM, Vaissière BE, Cane J, et al. (2007) Importance of pollinators in changing landscapes for world crops. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B. 274: 303-313 doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2006.3721

12) Rader R, Bartomeus I, Garibaldi LA, et al. (2016). Non- bee insects are important contributors to global crop pollination. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 113: 146-151 doi.org/10.1073/pnas. 1517092112

13) Gallai N, Salles J-M, Settele J, Vaissière BE (2009) Economic valuation of the vulnerability of world agriculture confronted with pollinator decline. Ecological Economics 68: 810-821 doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon. 2008.06.014

14) Rosenberg KV, Dokter AM, Blancher PJ, et al. (2019) Decline of the North American avifauna. Science 366: 120- 124 doi.org/10.1126/science.aaw1313

15) Janzen DH, Hallwachs W (2019) Perspective: Where might be many tropical insects? Biological Conservation 233:102-108 doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.02.030

16) Beckmann M, Gerstner K, Morodoluwa A‐F, et al. (2019) Conventional land‐use intensification reduces species richness and increases production: A global meta‐ analysis. Global Change Biology 25: 1941-1956 doi.org/ 10.1111/gcb.14606

17) Pe’erG,ZinngrebeY,MoreiraF,etal.(2019)Agreener path for the EU Common Agricultural Policy. Science 365: 449-451 doi.org/10.1126/science.aax3146

Berlin, 18 May 2020

Dear Chancellor,

the coronavirus, and the associated pandemic, are showing us exactly how closely the connection is between our well-being and nature. It also shows humanity the consequences of the continued destruction of the protective shields nature provides us, which offer us intact habitats with high biodiversity from pandemics.

You made the close connection between the loss of biodiversity and the occurrence of pandemics clear in your remarkable speech on April 28th at the Petersberg Climate Dialogue. They noted that around 60% of infectious diseases are spread particularly through the increased use of previously intact habitats, in addition to the trade of wild animals, and also warned us that progress must be made in the international protection of biodiversity.

These advances are also urgently demanded by the World Biodiversity Council IPBES. A year ago, the IPBES report on the global state of biodiversity has drawn more attention than ever to the economic, social, and ecological consequences of the biodiversity crisis. Unfortunately, this report, often cited as the “last wake-up call”, has so far not led to any noticeable change or action by the Federal Government. On the contrary, your government departments and your party’s parliamentarians are trying to soften core elements of the European Green Deal, including the EU’s biodiversity strategy, citing the economic impact of the corona crisis.

This contradicts what you said on April 28. There you emphasized that climate protection and biodiversity are of paramount importance even in times of a global pandemic crisis and that the “European Green Deal” shows the right way.

The Federal Government, so far, has not been very convincing in its preparations for the new biodiversity strategy of the UN Conference of the Parties (CBD), which is to be formally introduced at COP15. An ambitious and clear position on important goals and topics, which would be necessary in view of the importance of Germany on the international stage and the EU Presidency starting on July 1st, has not yet been recognized.

For the World Biodiversity Day on May 22nd, we therefore appeal to you, as our Chancellor, to make biodiversity conservation a top priority. This is the only way to ensure that the Federal Government will pursue a cross-departmental and effective policy in the future to protect biodiversity, which is based on clear and ambitious goals and positions which will safeguard our future.

A central component of this policy must include be that the Federal Government should strive to effectively protect at least 30% of the world’s oceans and lands by 2030, while recognizing and supporting the rights of the indigenous peoples.

This goal is a core element of the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030. Science and a growing number of CBD contracting states, companies, philanthropists, foundations, international non-governmental organizations, and the World Conservation Union IUCN agree that this goal will play a decisive role in the next ten years. This must happen so we can stop the dramatic loss of natural and intact habitats, along with their species.

The protection of at least 30% of the area is a triple benefit for our planet. Scientists believe that, if implemented effectively, around 70% of biodiversity and basic ecosystem services will be preserved for humanity. Strengthened and expanded protection of natural habitats, especially in the tropical forests, would also form a natural shield for us humans against further pandemics. And, by preserving natural carbon sinks and tying up emissions, it would make significant contributions to climate protection and strengthen the resilience and adaptability to climate change.

This pandemic shows us in a shockingly clear way how much our health and ultimately our survival depend on a healthy planet. At the same time, it offers a unique opportunity to introduce the indispensable transformative changes in our economic and financial systems to ensure the future viability of humanity.

The European Green Deal, including the EU’s biodiversity strategy, shows the direction of how transformative change must be initiated in Europe. We therefore expect the Federal Government in preparation for the presidency beginning on July 1^st to:

• work nationally and at European level to maintain the ambition level of the European Green Deal and to support a consistent and timely implementation,
• align the planning and implementation of the economic stimulus programs with the core elements of the European Green Deal. It would be fatal to give in to the lobbyists now, thereby establishing yesterday’s economic practices and models or postponing difficult transformation processes in the face of the current crisis. This includes, in particular, the immediate realignment of agriculture as the main cause of the loss of biodiversity,
• immediately commit to ambitious and concrete goals for the protection of biological diversity and to represent them nationally, within the EU, and internationally. This is associated with a clear commitment to the goal of effectively protecting at least 30% of the world’s oceans and land by 2030, and to play a key role in mobilizing the financial resources necessary for implementation,

According to a recent representative survey, what our citizens expect from the federal government is clear:

• 95% believe combating the extinction of species is important or very important,
• 86% want increased protection of intact natural areas in order to reduce the transmission of infectious diseases from animals to humans,
• four out of five would like the economic stimulus programs to favor those companies and industries that pursue ambitious health, environmental, and climate protection goals,
• 84% of all respondents want the federal government to make climate and nature protection a priority.

The reaction to the coronavirus pandemic now requires all of us to ensure the common good of current and future generations is secured against short-term particular interests. We must implement the policies and measures that protect nature so that nature can protect us again. The current survey makes it clear that this is expected and supported by the vast majority of Germans. That builds enthusiasm and should be seen as a great opportunity.

We would be very grateful for an answer.

Best regards,

Olaf Bandt, Vorsitzender Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland (BUND)

Prof. Dr. Detlev Drenckhahn

Dr. Jürgen Heraeus

Hannes Jaenicke, Schauspieler, Autor, Dokumentarfilmer

Martin Kaiser, Geschäftsführender Vorstand Greenpeace Deutschland

Klaus Milke, Stifter / Vorsitzender Stiftung Zukunftsfähigkeit & Chair Foundations 20

Prof. Dr. Kai Niebert, Präsident Deutscher Naturschutzring DNR

Prof. Dr. Volker Mosbrugger, Generaldirektor Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Frankfurt am Main

Prof. Dr. Manfred Niekisch

Dr. Christof Schenck, Geschäftsführer Zoologische Gesellschaft Frankfurt

Dr. Georg Schwede, Representative Europe, Campaign for Nature

Ernst-Christoph Stolper, Sprecher des Leitungskreises Forum Umwelt & Entwicklung

Prof. Dr. Johannes Vogel, Generaldirektor des Museums für Naturkunde Berlin

Hansjörg Wyss, Chairman Wyss Foundation

We ask for a response to the coordinator of this open letter:

Dr. Georg Schwede
Representative Europe, Campaign for Nature
Am Sonnenbrühl 19,
79410 Badenweiler
georg@campaignfornature.com