Insect Diversity, Declines and Conservation in Australia

Declines and losses of insects throughout the world have wide ramifications for the sustainability of terrestrial and inland water ecosystems, and for humanity. Those changes are complex and confusing to quantify and evaluate as bases for assessing needs and priorities for conservation. Australia's insect fauna is taxonomically and ecologically diverse, highly endemic (and, so, unique) and also very imperfectly known, so that establishing numerical and distributional templates for insect diversity against which to measure changes must generally rely on very incomplete information - but aided by awareness of a number of clearly threatened species and evidence that profound changes to natural habitats from human activities continue. This book explores the major themes and problems in facilitating and expanding insect conservation interest and practice in Australia, through discussing how diversity may be evaluated, how changes might occur and the global significance of Australia's insects, as prelude to outlining practical conservation measures that must be pursued with incomplete documentation and understanding of the fauna. Insect conservation studies and examples (with extensive references given) from many parts of the world are discussed to display how progress may be increased in Australia. Themes such as focus on particular taxa or sites, habitat restoration and protected areas, threat recognition and alleviation, education and citizen science, attention to wider landscape/ecosystem protection, and honing conservation policy to increase attention to insects, are all integral components of developing measures to protect Australia's insect heritage. They are discussed in the context of increasing awareness of insect diversity and understanding the richness and vulnerability of numerous native taxa and their restricted environments.

Auteur
Emeritus Professor Tim New is an entomologist with broad interests in insect systematics, ecology and conservation. For long based at LaTrobe University, Melbourne, he has traveled widely to collect and study insects in many parts of the world, and his extensive publications on these topics include nearly 50 books. He is recognised globally as one of the leading advocates for insect conservation.

Résumé
Problems of insect enumeration and assessment of needs are addressed in the contexts of rapid and substantial losses and changes to all key Australian terrestrial and freshwater environments and promoting awarenesss of the importance of insects. Further definition of the insect fauna and its peculiarities can aid threat alleviation and practical management to protect and conserve this unique and largely endemic biodiversity. Written for the many environmental managers and naturalists who are not primarily entomologists, the ten chapters expand from considerations of insect decline and diversity to the unique features of the Australian fauna and its characterisation. Cases and examples from throughout the world illustrate the major needs, approaches and priorities to sustaining a poorly known, diverse and ecologically varied insect heritage of global significance.

Contenu

Contents

1 Introduction: the reality of insect declines

References

2 The problems of interpreting changes Scientific shortfalls

Societal dilemmas

Recognition of threatened insect species

References

3 Assessing and interpreting insect diversity

Taxonomic approximation

Surrogate taxa

References

4 Remedies?

Understanding species

References

5 Drivers of decline Introduction: categorising threats

Understanding habitat change

References

6 Insect conservation need in the southern hemisphere

Insects of the temperate southern hemisphere

Understanding Australia's insect richness

Endemism Australia's insects and conservation need

References

7 Levels of concern and approach

Introduction Listing for priority

Extending ecological coverage

Bioregions

Ecological communities

Protected areas

References

8 Defining and countering threats

Introduction

Pesticides and pollution

Alien species

Fire

Climate change

References

9 Facilitating conservation progress

Introduction

Increasing the profile of insect conservation

Citizen science in Australian insect conservation

Flagship species

References 10 A future for Australia's insects

Introduction

Integrating insect conservation in Australia &...