How are our insects doing?
D 2020
Science calls it the windshield oracle. The feeling that in the past there would have been more insects and they would have stuck to the windscreen en masse when driving on the motorway. Until recently, it was a feeling that many people shared.
In 2017 there was a confirmation of this. A study provided figures and alarmed the population and politicians. In some regions of Germany, more than 75% of flying insects have disappeared in the last thirty years. This figure could not simply be generalised, but wherever you look, the trend is clear: things are going downhill. Other alarming figures from scientific studies followed: over the last ten years, the number of insect species has decreased by 67% in grasslands and by 40% in forests. The entries of endangered or extinct species in the Red Lists are increasing year by year.
In the meantime even the Bundestag has taken up the issue of insect mortality and acted surprisingly quickly. There is an insect protection action programme of the Federal Government. The concern is justified. Insects are an important part of the ecosystem. They feed birds and mammals and thus indirectly also humans. They pollinate about 30% of our food and numerous other plants. Without them there would be a problem in vegetable and fruit growing - because not only bees pollinate flowers, but also moths and flies. It would become quiet because the birds can't find food anymore. The world around us would become monotonous and colourless. Insects are a basic building block of our ecosystem.
The scientific community now needs more facts and objective data. What is the extent of insect mortality? What consequences does it have for humans and what can be done about it? The author Kerstin Mauersberger has met with researchers* and experts to investigate these questions. The answers to these and other questions can be seen in our documentary film "How are our insects doing?", which was produced in connection with the MDR Insect Summer.
Left:
Governments
Kerstin Mauersberger
Production
In one media
Technical data
Length: 45 min