Massive Insect Decline Threatens Collapse Of Nature

According to a major scientific review, global insect populations are hurtling towards exctinction, threatening a "catastrophic collapse of nature's ecosystems". The research found that 41 percent of the world's insect populations are declining while a third are endangered. The extinction rate of insects is eight times faster than mammals, birds and reptiles and there are suggestions that they could totally vanish within a century.

The impact of fewer insects would be devastating with birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish that rely on them for food starving to death. The knock-on effects could eventually have repercussions for the survival of mankind. The following infographic provides a closer look at some of the species experiencing major declines in population. Over half of the world's butterflies have died over the past decade with nearly half of all beetles and bees also perishing. Dragonflies have seen their ranks fall by 35 percent while a quarter of all flies have also died.