Review | Why insects matter, why they should fascinate you, and how to stop humankind wiping them out
- Insects are being wiped out, with consequences for us all. In Silent Earth – Averting the Insect Apocalypse, Dave Goulson explains what you can do to stop it
- This biology professor isn’t preachy, though – he wants you to be curious about, and to admire and value, insects for their beauty and extraordinary behaviours
Silent Earth – Averting the Insect Apocalypse by Dave Goulson, pub. HarperCollins
“Unless we actually go looking for insects in our parks and gardens,” writes biology professor Dave Goulson, “we are most likely to encounter those that invade our homes, including cockroaches, houseflies and bluebottles, clothes moths and silverfish.” He admits that it takes time to become properly acquainted with these before their merits become apparent.
Goulson is making a connection with Rachel Carson’s 1962 Silent Spring, which alerted the world to the effect of pesticides on bird populations, raised environmental consciousness and spurred conservation efforts globally.
Insects lack the same appeal, but they are key to the existence of “a multitude of birds, bats, spiders, reptiles, amphibians, small mammals and fish which would have little or nothing to eat if it weren’t for insects”, Goulson explains. “In their turn, the top predators such as sparrowhawks, herons and osprey that prey on the insectivorous starlings, frogs, shrews or salmon would themselves go hungry without insects.”
And while many readers of this book may not consume insects, about 2,000 species make up a sometimes significant portion of the diet of 80 per cent of the world’s population.