a bug collection sheet being lit from behind surrounded by trees

Insects are vanishing at an alarming rate—but we can save them

Insects aren’t just pests. They’re crucial for the planet and our food supply, and scientists say we can all pitch in to help.

A backlit sheet collects night-flying insects at a field station in Ecuador.

Photograph by David Liittschwager, National Geographic
Photographed at Iyarina Station at Gomataon

Every year, the number of insects flying over, crawling on, or burrowing in some parts of the planet drops by a percentage point or two. That means areas of severe decline could lose as much as much as a third of all their insects in two decades.

That’s the bad news, scientists reveal today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Dozens of insect experts contributed to a series of reports in the journal on just how bugs are faring around the world, for better or worse.

The good news—if good news is to be found—is that not all insects are declining so quickly. Some are even flourishing. And most important, researchers say, there’s hope for keeping our

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