The insect apocalypse | DW Documentary
The Insect Apocalypse | DW Documentary
The world’s insect population has declined by three quarters in the last 30 years and many species have become extinct. And it's all man's fault. This documentary looks at the dramatic consequences of this hitherto unrecognized catastrophe.
The results of long-term monitoring published in 2017 have confirmed that as much as 75 percent of the world’s insect population has disappeared in the last 30 years. The extent of species extinction is so vast that many researchers fear that it will knock the entire natural cycle of life out of balance. Not only the decline of the bee population but mass insect mortality as a whole will have devastating consequences for all the Earth’s inhabitants. Top scientists from around the globe are warning that the developments are much more widespread and serious than anyone had realized. Many animals feed on insects. Insects also help to convert dead tissue into nutrient-rich soil. In addition, they even regulate each other. Species that humans see as pests are often the preferred prey of useful predators. But massive human intervention has thrown the functioning balance in the insect world out of whack. Chemical poisons, the progressive sealing of soils and the widespread use of fertilizers are affecting the world's most species-rich animal class. This documentary looks at current studies and explains what is going wrong and where urgent action is needed. There's still some hope: although many species have been irrevocably lost, mass extinction in the insect kingdom could still be stopped - but only if humans finally begin to act against it. And we're running out of time.
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