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Conrad, K. F., M. S. Warren, R. Fox, M. S. Parsons, and I. P. Woiwod.
2006. Rapid declines of common, widespread British moths provide evidence
of an insect biodiversity crisis. Biological Conservation
<b>132</b>:2779-2291.<br><br>
A fundamental problem in estimating biodiversity loss is that very little
quantitative data are available for insects, which comprise more than
two-thirds of terrestrial species. We present national population trends
for a species-rich and ecologically diverse insect group: widespread and
common macro-moths in Britain. Two-thirds of the 337 species studied have
declined over the 35 yr study and 21% (71) of the species declined
>30% 10 yr<sup> 1</sup>. If IUCN (World Conservation Union) criteria
are applied at the national scale, these 71 species would be regarded as
threatened. The declines are at least as great as those recently reported
for British butterflies and exceed those of British birds and vascular
plants. These results have important and worrying implications for
species such as insectivorous birds and bats, and suggests as-yet
undetected declines may be widespread among temperate-zone insects.
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