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  • WNF: helft minder wilde dieren op de heide

    In heidegronden is het aantal wilde dieren in dertig jaar tijd met gemiddeld de helft afgenomen. Op hoge zandgronden, zoals de Veluwe, zijn er zelfs 70 procent minder dieren dan in 1990. De teruggang treft vooral vogels, reptielen, vlinders en andere insecten, staat in een rapport van het Wereld Natuur Fonds Nederland.

    Volgens directeur Kirsten Schuijt van het Wereld Natuur Fonds is de natuur inmiddels diep uitgehold, zonder dat we het in de gaten lijken te hebben. “Heide bloeit nog steeds prachtig paars. Maar wie weet nog dat vroeger wolken vlinders op de heide te zien waren? Vogelsoorten als de korhoen (Tetrao tetrix) en de tapuit (Oenanthe oenanthe) worden ernstig bedreigd, de duinpieper (Anthus campestris) is al verdwenen en ook de boomleeuwerik (Lullula arborea). Sterke dalers onder de vlinders zijn de kleine heivlinder (Hipparchia statilinus) en het gentiaanblauwtje (Maculinea alcon). Onder de reptielen gaat het slecht met de levendbarende hagedis.

    De organisatie signaleert dat kleinere insecten- en muizeneters als de eikelmuis, de hamster, de hermelijn en sommige vleermuissoorten het moeilijk hebben. Ze vinden te weinig prooi en hebben last van bestrijdingsmiddelen.

    Bron: NOS Nieuws, 6 februari 2020
    https://nos.nl/artikel/2321790-wnf-helft-minder-wilde-dieren-op-heide-en-boerenland-door-stikstof.html

  • Quantifying rapidly declining abundance of insects in Europe using a paired experimental design

    The abundance of insects has decreased for the last decades in many parts of the world although so far few studies have quantified this reduction because there have only been few baseline studies dating back decades that have allowed comparison of ancient and recent population estimates. Such a paired design is particularly powerful because it reduces or eliminates bias caused by differences in identity and experience of observers, identity of study sites, years, time of season, and time of day, and it ensures identity of sampling procedures. Here, I compiled information on the reduction in abundance of insects in Europe and Algeria by the same persons compiling the abundance of insects from the same 21 study sites during 1951–1997 and again a second time in 1998–2018.

    There was a reduction by 47% in the abundance of insects. The difference in abundance in old compared to new samples declined with latitude, with a significant variance among taxa. This reduction in abundance of insects was of such a magnitude that it must have consequences for insectivores and the role that insects play in ecosystems.

    Source: Møller AP. Quantifying rapidly declining abundance of insects in Europe using a paired experimental design. Ecol Evol. 2020;00:1–6. https://doi.
    org/10.1002/ece3.6070

  • Fates of humans and insects intertwined, warn scientists

    The “fates of humans and insects are intertwined”, scientists have said, with the huge declines reported in some places only the “tip of the iceberg”. The warning has been issued by 25 experts from around the world, who acknowledge that little is known about most of the estimated 5.5 million insect species. However, enough was understood to warrant immediate action, they said, because waiting for better data would risk irreversible damage.

    The researchers said solutions were available and must be implemented immediately. These range from bigger nature reserves and a crackdown on harmful pesticides to individual action such as not mowing the lawn and leaving dead wood in gardens. They also said invertebrates must no longer be neglected by conservation efforts, which tend to focus on mammals and birds.

    The alert has been published as two articles in the Biological Conservation journal.
    “The current [insect] extinction crisis is deeply worrisome. Yet, what we know is only the tip of the iceberg,” the scientists write. “We know enough to act immediately. Solutions are now available – we must act upon them.”

    “Insect declines lead to the loss of essential, irreplaceable services to humanity. Human activity is responsible for almost all current insect population declines and extinctions.” Insect population collapses have been reported in Germany, Puerto Rico and elsewhere. The first global scientific review, published in February 2019, said widespread declines threatened to cause a “catastrophic collapse of nature’s ecosystems”. Insects pollinate three-quarters of crops, and another recent study showed widespread losses of such insects across Britain. The report notes that only about a fifth of the world’s insect species have even been named, mostly from only single specimens. “Many insect species are going extinct even before being described,” the researchers said. “It is likely that insect extinctions since the industrial era are around 5-10%, ie 250,000 to 500,000 species.”

    This estimate is based on the extinctions of land snails. Prof Pedro Cardoso, at the Finnish Museum of Natural History and the lead author of the latest report, said: “It is the best estimate we have. There is no reason to think the trends are different between insects and land snails, but snails leave their shells behind as evidence.”

    The paper also notes that British butterfly and beetle populations were said to be “fast disappearing” in the 1870s by the entomologist Archibald Swinton. Long-term data on insect populations is rare. “We don’t know everything – in fact we know very little – but if we wait until we have better information to act it might be too late to recover many species,” Cardoso said. “Many species are declining, probably the majority, and overall it seems the trend is for a large decline. But there are of course some species that are benefitting, for example the swarms of locusts currently in east Africa.”

    Matt Shardlow, the chief executive of the conservation group Buglife, said a key report in 2016 told world governments that declines in wild pollinators presented risks to societies and ecosystems. “However, in a repeat of the failure of politicians to respond to scientific warnings about climate change, the cautious, scientific language used has not produced an appropriate response from governments,” he said. “Scientists are now turning up the heat on insect declines in the hope that politicians will understand the urgency and the link to human survival, and will take action before it is too late.”

    The key causes of insect losses, according to the scientists, are the destruction of natural habitat for farming and buildings; the intensive use of pesticides; industrial pollution and light pollution; and invasive alien species; and the climate crisis.

    Source: The Guardian, 20 Feb 2020
    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/feb/20/fates-humans-insects-intertwined-scientists-population-collapse

  • India’s bird populations ‘declining sharply’, research shows

    Hundreds of bird populations in India are collapsing, according to a major new report. Researchers using data collected by more than 15,000 birdwatchers examined trends over a 25-year period, and also over the last five years, and in both cases found numbers had declined overall. Over the last quarter of a century there is data available for 261 species – 52 per cent of which were found to be decreasing in number. And over the past five years, data available for 146 species revealed almost 80 per cent of them were declining. Overall there are 101 species now classified as of “high conservation concern”, according to the State of India’s Birds 2020 report.

    Source: The Independent, 18 Feb 2020
    https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/india-birds-decline-species-biodiversity-climate-crisis-a9342371.html

  • Freshwater insects recover while spiders decline in UK

    Many insects, mosses and lichens in the UK are bucking the trend of biodiversity loss, according to a comprehensive analysis of over 5,000 species led by UCL and the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH). The researchers say their findings on UK biodiversity between 1970 and 2015, published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, may provide evidence that efforts to improve air and water quality could be paying off.

    “By looking at long-term trends in the distribution of understudied species, we found evidence of concerning declines, but we also found that it’s not all bad news. Some groups of species, particularly freshwater insects, appear to be undergoing a strong recovery,” said the study’s lead author, Dr Charlie Outhwaite (UCL Centre for Biodiversity & Environment Research, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, and the RSPB). Funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), the researchers analysed trends in the distribution of invertebrates (such as insects and spiders), bryophytes (such as mosses) and lichens over a 45-year period, to see whether they were following the same declining trends reported in better-studied groups such as mammals, birds and butterflies.

    Across all 5,214 species surveyed, overall occupancy (distribution) was 11% higher in 2015 than in 1970. The researchers were not able to estimate the total numbers of each species, but gauged how well each species was doing by whether its geographic range was expanding or shrinking.

    They found substantial variation between the different groups, and between individual species within each group. Among the four major groups studied, only one of them — terrestrial non-insect invertebrates (mainly spiders, centipedes and millipedes) — exhibited an overall trend of declining distribution (by 7% since 1970).

    More positively, freshwater insects, such as mayflies, dragonflies and caddisflies, have undergone a strong recovery since the mid-1990s, recently surpassing 1970 levels following a 47% decline from 1970 to 1994. Mosses and lichens have also increased in average occupancy (distribution) by 36%, while terrestrial insects, such as ants and moths, exhibited a slight increase.

    The data included over 24 million records, each identifying a sighting of a particular species in a particular location, sourced from numerous biological recording schemes. People from across the UK have been contributing to the recording schemes on a volunteer basis for decades.

    While the volunteers used inconsistent methods to collect their records, having such a vast quantity of data enabled the researchers to analyse it effectively using occupancy modelling techniques.

    “Our study demonstrates the power of citizen science, as anyone can contribute to impactful academic research. We couldn’t have done this research without the hard work of thousands of volunteers who have contributed to recording schemes over the years,” said Dr Outhwaite.

    While the study period only went back to 1970, other research suggests that many of the species studied would have been experiencing long-term declines dating back to the industrial revolution or further, due to pollution or habitat losses from agricultural expansion and urbanisation.

    Journal Reference:
    Charlotte L. Outhwaite, Richard D. Gregory, Richard E. Chandler, Ben Collen, Nick J. B. Isaac. Complex long-term biodiversity change among invertebrates, bryophytes and lichens. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 2020; DOI: 10.1038/s41559-020-1111-z

    Source:
    University College London. “Freshwater insects recover while spiders decline in UK.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 17 February 2020. .

  • Nederland blijft in biologische landbouw flink achter op andere Europese landen

    Op donderdag 13 februari is op de BIOFACH, de internationale vakbeurs voor b­iologische voeding, bekend gemaakt dat de biologische landbouw wereldwijd met 2,0 miljoen hectare is gegroeid. 2018 was daarmee opnieuw een recordjaar voor de biologische sector. Ook de biologische detailhandel bereikte een record, de wereldwijde markt passeerde de grens van 100 miljard dollar (USD), zo blijkt uit de studie “The World of Organic Agriculture” over 2018 van de FiBL en IFOAM, met gegevens uit 186 landen.

    Eind 2018 telde de biologische landbouw wereldwijd 71,5 miljoen hectare. Daarmee groeide biologische landbouw wereldwijd met 2 miljoen hectare (2,9%) ten opzichte van 2017. Het biologische aandeel is op alle continenten toegenomen. Australië heeft het grootste biologische landbouwareaal (35,7 miljoen hectare), gevolgd door Argentinië (3,6 miljoen hectare). Vanwege het grote areaal biologische landbouwgrond in Australië bevindt de helft van de wereldwijde biologische landbouwgrond zich in Oceanië (36,0 miljoen hectare). Europa heeft het op een na grootste gebied (15,6 miljoen hectare), gevolgd door Latijns-Amerika (8 miljoen hectare).

    Ondanks dat het wereldwijde biologisch aandeel op de totale landbouwgrond 1,5% bedraagt, hebben veel landen een groter aandeel: Liechtenstein (38,5%) en Oostenrijk (24,7 %) zijn voorlopers. Met 2,2 miljoen hectare (9,6%) blijft Spanje het land met het grootste biologisch oppervlakte in hectare. Nederland blijft in dit rapport met cijfers van 2018 op (3,1%) hangen, met een landbouw areaal van 69.000 hectare. Daarmee blijft Nederland flink achter op andere Europese landen. Een van de mogelijke oorzaken hiervoor is het ontbreken van een stimuleringsbeleid en streefcijfers voor klimaatvriendelijke landbouw vanuit de overheid. Met de komst van de Green Deal hoopt Bionext, brancheorganisatie van de biologische sector, dat hier verandering in komt.

    Marktonderzoeksbureau Ecovia Intelligence schat dat de biologische voedingsmarkt wereldwijd voor het eerst boven de 100 miljard dollar (bijna 97 miljard euro). De Verenigde Staten is met 40,6 miljard euro marktleider, gevolgd door Duitsland (10,9 miljard euro) en Frankrijk (9,1 miljard euro). Daarmee groeide de Franse biologische markt met meer dan 15%. Denemarken had het hoogste biologische marktaandeel met 11,5% van de totale voedselmarkt. Deense en Zwitserse consumenten gaven in 2018 het meest uit aan biologisch voeding (312 euro per inwoner).

    In 2018 werden er 2,8 miljoen biologische producenten geteld. India heeft meeste aantal producenten (1.149.000), gevolgd door Oeganda (210.000) en Ethiopië (204.000). In Nederland zijn er 3.115 bedrijven in handel, verwerking, import en opslag die biologisch gecertificeerd zijn. (2019, Skal biocontrole).

    Bron: Akkerbouw Aktueel, 13 Feb 2020
    https://www.akkerbouwactueel.nl/nieuwsartikel/2020/biologische-landbouw-groeit-wereldwijd-met-2-miljoen-hectare/b24g18c38o4231/

  • Systemic insecticides decreased dragonfly abundance in Japan

    Since the mid-1990s, populations of the common Japanese dragonfly Sympetrum frequens in rice fields have declined severely. Application of systemic insecticides—especially fipronil—to nursery boxes of rice seedlings is suspected to be the main cause of the decline. However, until now there have been insufficient population data to test the causality. We conducted a dragonfly survey from 2009 to 2016 in four prefectures of Japan and compiled the data to enable the comparison of population growth rates along five main census routes over the years. We also estimated the use ratio of each insecticide applied to nursery boxes in rice fields (i.e., the area exposed to insecticide as a ratio of the total rice field area) by prefecture. We then statistically analyzed the effects of the insecticides on the dragonfly’s population growth rates, taking into account the potential confounding factors based on current knowledge. There was a significant negative association between the annual increase in use ratio of the sum of systemic insecticides (e.g., fipronil, imidacloprid, and chlorantraniliprole) and the annual population growth rate of S. frequens. This association suggests that systemic insecticide use affected the decrease in population density of the dragonfly, although some agronomic factors need to be further examined as potential confounders.

    Source:
    Kosuke Nakanishi et al. Science of The Total Environment, Volume 703, 10 February 2020, 134499

  • Decline in activity of Spruce beetle and Douglas-fir beetle in the Rio Grande National Forest

    The 2019 forest health survey results were released last week and, once again, indicated a decline in activity of two forest insects that have most noticeably impacted the Rio Grande National Forest for several years: The Spruce beetle and Douglas-fir beetle.

    The Douglas-fir beetle spread was nearly negligible for 2019, affecting only 670 acres with scattered pockets of mortality. The spruce beetle infestation spread another 6,700 acres in 2019, down significantly from the 34,000 acres in 2018 and 47,000 acres in 2017. In total, the spruce beetle has infested about 622,000 acres of spruce-fir and mixed conifer forest on the Rio Grande National Forest. That is one-third of the Forest.

    Source: Monte Vista Journal, Feb 16, 2020
    https://montevistajournal.com/article/forest-health-2019-viewpoint-on-the-insects

  • En busca de una nueva agricultura libre de pesticidas químicos

    Ya se trate de una plaga de langostas en África Occidental o de la desaparición de insectos en Alemania: estas catástrofes se deben al cambio climático, la alta demanda de alimentos y errores en la agricultura.

    “Nuestras tierras están rindiendo bajo presión”, advirtió recientemente la ministra alemana de Agricultura, Julia Klöckner, al presentar la Estrategia Agrícola 2035 del gobierno germano. “En el 1900, un agricultor alimentaba a diez personas. Hoy alimenta a 155”, agregó. En su opinión, la rotación de cultivos y el uso de semillas resistentes deberían tener prioridad ante los monocultivos y la agricultura intensiva.

    En el llamado Atlas de Insectos, un informe publicado recientemente por la Fundación Heinrich-Böll, cercana al partido Los Verdes, y de la Federación Alemana para el Medioambiente y la Conservación BUND, se señala que sobre todo en los grandes campos, donde se practica la agricultura intensiva y el monocultivo, los insectos y las plantas ya no encuentran un hábitat.

    Las abejas, las mariposas y los escarabajos no solo son indispensables para los ecosistemas, los insectos también son importantes económicamente. Según la Fundación Heinrich-Böll, el trabajo de polinización de los insectos a nivel mundial en el cultivo de frutas, verduras y cereales tiene un valor económico de entre 200 y 600 mil millones de dólares estadounidenses.

    Al entrar en contacto con pesticidas, como los que se usan en la agricultura industrial para aumentar la producción, los insectos suelen reaccionar con desorientación. Un estudio de 2014, del neurobiólogo berlinés Randolf Menzel, demostró que cantidades pequeñas de las sustancias imidacloprid, clotianidina y tiacloprid (insecticidas prohibidos hoy en día) afectan el sistema nervioso de las abejas.

    Debido al aumento de las críticas en la opinión pública, gigantes de la industria como Bayer están desarrollando alternativas a pesticidas químicos como el glifosato, producto de la filial Monsanto. Aparte de sus productos químicos, Bayer aseguró a DW que vende pesticidas biológicos para la agricultura convencional e impulsa el desarrollo de métodos de cultivo ecológicos a través del llamado “digital farming” (agricultura digital). Con ayuda de mediciones y recopilación de datos, en el futuro, se identificará a parásitos, enfermedades y malas hierbas con precisión en cada metro cuadrado. En caso de que las plantas necesiten ayuda, se determinará el tiempo más favorable para el abono y uso de pesticidas sostenibles.

    En laboratorios y campos alrededor del mundo, se buscan alternativas ecológicas. En el cultivo del algodón, por ejemplo, donde se usa el 16 por ciento de todos los pesticidas a nivel mundial, según el Instituto Ecológico de Múnich, ya se aplica el método de las llamadas plantas de distracción. Estas se cultivan para atraer a los insectos y alejarlos del algodón.

    En tierras germanas, la Fundación Alemana de Medioambiente (DBU, por sus siglas en alemán) financia con 315.000 euros un proyecto para el desarrollo de pesticidas alternativos: con ayuda de rayos láser se pretende reconocer con precisión hierbas malas problemáticas y erradicarlas selectivamente, dejando intactas las hierbas salvajes inofensivas e importantes para los insectos.
    En entrevista con DW, Ralf Bloch, del Centro Leibniz para la Investigación de Paisajes Agrícolas (ZALF, por sus siglas en alemán), explica que siempre es importante encontrar soluciones regionales, preventivas y específicas de la industria. El ZALF supervisa proyectos en todo el mundo.
    Por su parte, científicos en torno a Dietrich Stephan, del Instituto Julius Kühn, están investigando hongos que pueden combatir eficazmente a parásitos. Entre otras cosas, colaboró en el desarrollo de un método biológico a base de microorganismos para combatir las plagas de langostas.

    Source: Deutsche Welle, Feb 2020
    Deutsche Welle es la emisora internacional de Alemania y produce periodismo independiente en 30 idiomas.

  • Time-Dependent Toxicity Related to Short-Term Peaks of Contaminant Release

    Short-term peaks of contaminant concentrations and flows go undetected at many minesites. Recent biological studies have shown that short peaks can contribute significantly to toxicity due to aspects like damage per unit of time, accumulating damage through time, damage at any concentration, temporally aligned or offset synergistic and antagonistic interactions, and slowly reversible or non-reversible uptake and binding of some metals and other elements. Thus, monitoring, characterizing, predicting, and limiting of short-term peaks of contaminant release can be critical for minesites in certain environments and ecosystems.

    Source: Kevin A. Morin (2017)
    www.mdag.com/case_studies/cs49.html