ABSTRACT
To mitigate biodiversity loss, we need a clear picture of what is happening to biodiversity. Is it declining? If so, where, and which taxa show the most concerning declines? These questions are challenging for all wild species but particularly for insects. Insects are ‘hyperdiverse’ and dominate life on Earth. Despite this, most thinking about how to measure the state of biodiversity concerns vertebrates. A further complication is that ‘biodiversity’ is a multi-faceted concept with many ways to measure it. We use the essential biodiversity variables (EBVs) framework to simplify this complexity into a few key dimensions, considering populations, distributions, communities, and ecosystems. Data for some regions and insect groups are regularly collected by dedicated large-scale monitoring schemes, but elsewhere, data are scarce. Assessments of change for many insect groups must therefore be made with heterogeneous data, leading to many uncertainties. The potential for denial of insect biodiversity loss, a possible risk to future conservation action at a global scale is considered. This chapter considers a more nuanced, scientifically informed opinion about the global status of insects.
