A dying bug’s life: the Maldives’ insect population is falling because of tourism and the use of pesticides, scientists find

According to research on the impact of travel resorts on biodiversity, tourism is contributing to a drastic loss of insect life on oceanic islands

In the Maldives, an average of 66 per cent fewer insect species were documented on islands where there are tourist resorts than elsewhere in the archipelago

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There’s an insect apocalypse in the Maldives and it’s because of tourism and pesticides. Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto

Published: 12:45pm, 20 Oct 2021Updated: 4:37pm, 20 Oct 2021

A bigger carbon footprint should not be the only thing weighing on the conscience of any tourist flying out for a holiday on the beaches of the Maldives, which has been open to those of all nationalities without quarantine since July.

The luxury villas, infinity swimming pools and island spas of the Maldives, where resorts are in a constant battle trying to outdo each other with ever-bigger attractions to lure tourists, come at a terrible cost to the local environment, researchers are warning.

Tourism is contributing to a massive loss of insect life on oceanic islands, according to scientists who have published new research on the impact of travel resorts on nature diversity.

In the Maldives, an average of 66 per cent fewer insect species were documented on the archipelago’s tourist islands, according to researchers tied to the University of Bayreuth, in Germany.

An average of 66 per cent fewer insect species were documented on the tourist islands of the Maldives. Photo: Getty Images

Oceanic islands make up only slightly more than two per cent of the Earth’s land mass. However, they are home to a fifth of all known animal and plant species and around half of all endangered species.