Catastrophic reductions in global insect populations have profound consequences for ecological food chains and human crop pollination.

There is strong evidence that many insect populations are under serious threat and are declining in many places across the globe. Multiple pressures might include habitat loss, agro-chemical pollutants, invasive species and climate change.

A 27-year long population monitoring study in Germany revealed a dramatic 76% decline in flying insect biomass.

And a new study by Dutch scientists found that Butterfly numbers had fallen by over 80% in the last 130 years. With the authors concluding that "industrial agriculture is simply leaving hardly any room for nature."

"It should be of huge concern to all of us, for insects are at the heart of every food web, they pollinate the large majority of plant species, keep the soil healthy, recycle nutrients, control pests, and much more. Love them or loathe them, we humans cannot survive without insects." Prof Dave Goulson, The University of Sussex