A prominent UK environmental umbrella group on Wednesday called on the government to take sweeping action to halt the catastrophic decline in insect populations which poses an existential threat to humankind
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th July, 2020) A prominent UK environmental umbrella group on Wednesday called on the government to take sweeping action to halt the catastrophic decline in insect populations which poses an existential threat to humankind.
In a report, The Wildlife Trusts urged the government to match the European Union's pledge to cut pesticide use by 50 percent by 2030 and to prop up insect protection policies in draft bills currently making their way through parliament.
"Insects are the canaries in the coal mine - their collapse is an alarm bell that we must not ignore," Professor Dave Goulson of the University of Sussex, the report's lead author, said.
The report also outlined a system of incentives for farmers to adopt insect-friendly practices and called for a culture shift towards appreciating insects, becoming "insect champions." Greening of large territories and creating insect superhighways was also stressed in the report. The Wildlife Trusts, made up of 46 specialized environmental groups, demanded to set a target to have at least 30 percent of the UK covered by forests, as opposed to the current 15 percent.
Chief executive of the Wildlife Trusts, Craig Bennett, called on the government to refrain from weakening pesticide standards in trade deals it is negotiating.
"Current trade deals threaten to make a bad situation worse. It's up to the Government to ensure we maintain our current environmental standards, not let them slip and jeopardize the wildlife we have left," Bennett said in a prelude to the report.
The UK government is currently negotiating trade deals with many countries, entities and blocs on the back of leaving the European Union. Fears abound that London may agree to lower its European-level standards as part of the complex deals.
