Arthropods, the invisible workers of nature
Tiny, but mighty. Butterflies, bees, flies, millipedes, woodlice, beetles, spiders, and countless other invertebrates are Europe’s invisible workforce. These “bugs” are ecosystem engineers: they pollinate crops, keep soils fertile, recycle organic matter, control pests, and feed countless animals, all for free. This work is priceless: insect pollination alone is worth an estimated €15 billion every year to EU agriculture.
But this natural workforce is collapsing. In just 25 years, Germany has lost 75% of its flying insect biomass, even in protected areas. Similar declines are reported across Europe. This is both an ecological tragedy and a direct threat to Europe’s food security. If we lose these insects, we lose the vital jobs they perform that sustain our ecosystems and our agriculture. Without them, yields would fall, farming costs and food prices would soar, and life on Earth as we know it would be at risk.
Why are arthropods disappearing?
The decline of terrestrial arthropods is the result of several interconnected pressures. Habitat loss and fragmentation reduce the spaces where species can feed, breed, and shelter. Climate change disrupts seasonal cycles and survival conditions. Agricultural intensification (e.g: monocultures, removal of hedgerows and wildflowers, etc), has simplified landscapes and reduced the diversity of food and shelter available. Lastly, pollution from agriculture, industry, and urban areas directly poisons arthropods and further degrades their habitats and food sources.
Pesticides: A major driver we can eliminate
Pesticide use is a major driver of arthropod decline. While designed to kill pests, they cause widespread collateral damage. Insecticides are particularly harmful, while herbicides and fungicides reduce food sources and degrade habitats. Bugs are exposed during spraying and through residues in the environment that persist long after application. Often, they are exposed to mixtures of pesticides, which can amplify harmful effects. Pesticides can kill arthropods outright through acute poisoning, but even low, non-lethal doses have damaging effects. They disrupt functions essential to their survival, like navigation, foraging, reproduction, and immunity.
Unlike climate change or habitat loss, which are multi-factorial challenges, pesticide reduction is directly controllable. It comes down to the chemicals we authorise, how we regulate them, and the farming practices we promote. Hence, it is one of the most direct and efficient levers available to the EU and its Member States to halt the arthropod population collapse.
The EU guidance document on terrestrial ecotoxicology: a tool to stop arthropod decline
And the EU now has a significant opportunity to address this issue and strengthen protection for arthropods. Pesticides harmful to arthropods can enter the EU market because of a flawed regulatory framework: the EU Guidance on Terrestrial Ecotoxicology. For the past two decades, the EU has followed this guidance when assessing pesticide risks to arthropods. However, the protection standards it sets are so low that they offer virtually no real safeguard for these essential species.
At last, the guidelines are being rewritten by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), at the request of the European Commission. PAN Europe follows closely this work, as the level of protection provided in the new guidance document will be determinant for the future of arthropod populations in Europe.