There is growing hope for wild bees and insects in Germany. Surprisingly, it has roots in the country’s major cities, thanks to wildflower meadows that are precisely planted to reverse the steep decline in insect populations.
Insects around the world are at risk. A 2020 study published in Science estimates that global insect populations on land have decreased by 25 percent. Populations have decreased by 9 percent every decade, which means almost a quarter of all insects have become extinct in the last 30 years. In the past 75 years the number has increased to over half. Another report estimated that all insects could be gone within 100 years.
According to the BBC, the worst are the losses in the western and midwestern US and in Europe – especially in Germany. The Guardian reported that around 580 species of wild bees live in Germany. More than half are critically endangered or critically endangered. The report cited a 2017 study by the Entomological Society of Krefeld that showed a 75 percent decrease in total flying insect biomass in protected areas in Germany since 1989.
Both the BBC and The Guardian cited climate change, insecticide use, land use changes and pollution from chemicals, exhaust fumes, light and noise as the main drivers of insect loss. In Germany in particular, the main reason cited for the sharp decline was the loss of diverse habitats, reported The Guardian.
The expected loss of biodiversity is known as the “insect apocalypse,” and scientists warn about it and the effects that such loss could have, because beetles are the “tissues of life.” They serve vital ecosystem functions such as soil aeration, pollination and nutrient recycling, the BBC reported.
For bees and other pollinators, the “perfect storm” of parasites, air pollution and other threats that are currently decimating insect populations could also lead to crop bottlenecks and impair food security. The list of the most popular foods we would lose without pollinators includes everything from apples and strawberries to avocados, coffee, onions, and tomatoes.
To counteract this catastrophic decline in bee and insect populations, Germany has carried out a nationwide project to plant urban wildflower meadows. The Guardian reported that more than 100 flowers and wild grasses have been planted in Germany’s largest cities in the past three years, and more are in the pipeline. Many of these contained endangered plants that take two to three years to mature, mixed with annual flowers.
The residents were initially skeptical of the flower additions, especially at the expense of the extensive grassy areas and lawns.
“I was pretty skeptical at first,” Derek O’Doyle, an Irish citizen living in Berlin, told The Guardian. “It looked disorganized. And I was annoyed at the loss of a large area of grass to play tag with my dog.”
The German summer is now in full swing and the meadows vibrate with color and activity – in the truest sense of the word – even the most reluctant city dwellers have been won over.
“I’ve changed my mind,” said O’Doyle. “It has become an incredibly attractive addition to our neighborhood. You experience the seasons in a whole new way.”
Longer-term efforts to save bees and other insects must go beyond city limits to tackle agricultural land use and pesticides, Christian Schmid-Egger told The Guardian. Schmid-Egger coordinates the Berlin wildflower meadows on behalf of the German Wildlife Foundation. Still, he hoped that urban efforts would help raise awareness of the importance of conserving wilderness, including in cities, and protecting the insects we all depend on.
“At some point, many such hotspots could create a network of wilderness right in our cities,” he said.
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