Insects are essential to terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems, yet evidence from around the world points to widespread declines in their abundance, diversity, and biomass. These losses threaten ecosystem services such as pollination and pest control, with cascading effects on other species and human well-being. However, major gaps remain in understanding the magnitude, pace, and patterns of declines, the relative importance of drivers, and the evidence for insects’ critical roles in ecosystem functioning and services. At the same time, strategies for recovering insect populations—particularly in agricultural and human-dominated landscapes—are still not fully synthesized.
This session will bring together researchers, conservationists, and policymakers to present the latest findings on insect population trends across biomes and taxa. We welcome advances in long-term monitoring, meta-analyses, and novel data sources that close geographical and taxonomic gaps, and studies examining drivers of decline, such as land-use or climate change. We also invite research quantifying insects’ ecological and societal importance, showing how their diversity and abundance underpin ecosystem functioning, resilience, and service delivery.
In addition to diagnosing decline, this session emphasizes solutions. We welcome contributions presenting evidence for insect conservation and restoration, evaluating what works, where, and at what scale. We also welcome studies on the enabling conditions for success, such as policy interventions or governance approaches. By integrating knowledge on drivers, impacts, and solutions, this session aims to chart a path to halt and reverse insect biodiversity loss, securing resilient ecosystems and their benefits for future generations.