Every day, species are silently disappearing from the face of the Earth. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), more than 47,000 species are now threatened with extinction (Source: IUCN, 2024). It is estimated that the planet is losing between 100 and 1,000 times more species than the natural extinction rate (Source: WWF, 2020). And since 1970, wildlife populations have fallen by an average of 73% (Source: Living Planet Report, WWF 2022).
Source : IUCN (The International Union for Conservation of Nature)
From microscopic insects to iconic animals, this massive collapse caused by human activity represents much more than an ecological tragedy. It is a direct threat to our food security, our health, and our collective future.
A silent but rapid collapse
Never before in Earth’s history has life experienced such a decline. The current rate of extinction is up to 1,000 times higher than normal, according to estimates from the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not just “exotic” or distant species that are disappearing. The number of birds in the French countryside has declined by 30% in 30 years. Source: CNRS/MNHN, 2018
The main cause? Our lifestyles. Intensive agriculture, destruction of natural habitats, plastic and noise pollution, species trafficking, global warming: we are the architects of this sixth mass extinction.
Insects: The First species to Fall
Among the most invisible but crucial victims: insects. A review study published in Biological Conservation shows that 40% of insect species are in decline, and that a third could disappear within a few decades. Source: Sánchez-Bayo & Wyckhuys, 2019.
These figures are alarming because insects fulfill fundamental ecological functions:
Pollination: 75% of the world’s food crops depend partially or totally on them. Source: FAO, 2018.
Decomposition: They recycle organic matter and enrich the soil.
Food chain: They feed birds, amphibians, fish, reptiles, small mammals, etc.Among the most invisible but crucial victims: insects. A review study published in Biological Conservation shows that 40% of insect species are in decline, and that a third could disappear within a few decades. Source: Sánchez-Bayo & Wyckhuys, 2019.
- These figures are alarming because insects fulfill fundamental ecological functions:
- Pollination: 75% of the world’s food crops depend partially or totally on them. Source: FAO, 2018.
- Decomposition: They recycle organic matter and enrich the soil.
- Food chain: They feed birds, amphibians, fish, reptiles, small mammals, etc.
Their disappearance, already observed in Europe where certain species of butterflies and bumblebees have declined by more than 70%, could trigger a cascading collapse of ecosystems.
What if our very survival was also at stake?
This decline in life is not simply an aesthetic or moral loss. It directly calls into question the pillars of our civilization.
Food Security
Without pollinating insects, the production of fruits, vegetables, oilseeds, and certain cereals collapses. A study published in Science estimates that a severe decline in pollinators could cause global plant-based food production to drop by 35%. Source: Science, 2007. This means higher prices, a decline in nutritional quality, and worsening famines in already vulnerable regions.
Promises are no longer enough
Agreements exist. The most recent, signed at COP15 in Montreal in 2022, aims to protect 30% of land and oceans by 2030. Source: Convention on Biological Diversity, 2022. A historic step forward on paper.
In reality, implementation is slow, funding is limited, and attacks on biodiversity continue, often legally. As long as nature is viewed as a mere resource, rather than a vital system of which we are a part, these promises will remain empty words.
These commitments, however ambitious, are up against powerful economic and political realities. In many countries, short-term interests—logging, mining, intensive agriculture—continue to take precedence over ecosystem protection. For example, the Amazon, despite being described as the planet’s “green lung,” lost more than 20,000 km² of forest in 2022 alone, despite international commitments. Source: INPE, 2023. This contradiction between words and actions highlights a fundamental problem: biodiversity still lacks real weight in the face of profit-driven logic.
And what can we do about this collapse?
- Given the scale of the phenomenon, it would be easy to feel powerless. However, individual and collective actions can initiate real change:
- Reduce our consumption of meat and industrial products, which are major contributors to deforestation and pesticide use.
- Preference organic or sustainable farming products that respect the soil and insects.
- Develop natural spaces in our cities and gardens (flower meadows, hedges, insect shelters).
- Support biodiversity protection associations and lobby for ambitious environmental policies.
Conclusion
Species extinction is not an abstract threat. It is already here, measurable, documented, and felt. Insects, however small, are the cogs of our survival. Not protecting them is sabotaging the machine on which we all depend.
It is no longer simply a matter of preserving nature for its own sake, but of preserving the world we want to inhabit tomorrow.
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