This is one of those phrases that is being tossed about in election speeches without much explanation. What does it really mean and who does it actually affect?

Simply put it means that there are significantly less different types of insects, wild flowers and other species than there used to be.

It is true that some species are thriving but overall the statistics are dramatic. The timeline or ‘baseline’ can be varied but the trajectory is still downward.

Why have I never noticed? I have to admit that I managed to go through much of my life without noticing the change myself. It was only during covid when I did an online course on wildflower identification for a series of paintings and began to join local plant survey groups that I realised what was happening. It was learning about this change and the implications for society that pushed me to become a more active member of the Green Party and ultimately to stand for Parliament.

Suffolk is a rural county. Surely it doesn’t apply here?
Sadly Suffolk is one of the most badly affected areas in the country.
Biodiversity loss is caused by many different things including climate change, housing developments and general pollution and these are all relevant here. However, Suffolk is also a very successful arable farming area, often referred to as the bread basket of England. As part of a farming family I know this sector well. These farmers are dedicated to producing food and they work on tight margins. Some years are more profitable than others and there is very little certainly in farming.
Historically the use of pesticides has been key to maintaining the very high yields that these farmers produce. Many of them are now becoming aware that this may have to change and they are looking at reducing in particular the use of insecticides. They are also being encouraged not to farm marginal land that requires more inputs for less gain and instead leave this land for nature to rejuvenate. The Green Party recognises that farmers will need increased financial support to change the way that they farm and to still produce food. It is important that this money is targeted so that it benefits the public and our environment.

There seem to be plenty of annoying insects!
Insects don’t get very good press. They sting and bite us and get in our food. Do we really want more of them?
It does seem as if the particularly annoying insects are in plentiful supply. But some people might remember how dirty our windscreens used to get when we drove a car in the summer with all the insects splattered on the windscreen and how you could never leave the windows open and the lights on at night because you would summon an unwelcome invasion of creatures. For those of you who remember that, the evidence of change is there. Younger people have never seen that and so find the change harder to recognize.

Why do we need insects?
Insects are a vital part of the food chain which ultimately supports human life.
Insects play a critical role as pollinators. 1/3rd of our food requires pollinators in order to grow, for example, most fruit and vegetables.
Many birds and other species are insectivorous and so their survival depends on eating insects.

Without insects, life on earth would collapse, millions of species would go extinct, and we would be surrounded by the carcases of dead animals.

The UK’s flying insect population has declined by as much as 60% in the last 20 years, a new study has revealed – > https://cdn.buglife.org.uk/2022/05/Bugs-Matter-2021-National-Report.pdf
Invertebrates are critical to ecosystem functions and services. They pollinate most of the world’s crops, provide natural pest control services, and decompose organic matter and recycle nutrients into the soil. Without them we could not grow onions, cabbages, broccoli, chillies, most tomatoes, coffee, cocoa, most fruits, sunflowers, and rapeseed, and demand for synthetic fibres would surge because bees pollinate cotton and flax. Invertebrates underpin food chains, providing food for larger animals including birds, bats, reptiles, amphibians, fish and terrestrial mammals. Almost all birds eat insects, and many of those that eat seeds and other food as adults must feed insects to their young – it is thought to take 200,000 insects to raise a single swallow chick (Chapman et al., 2013). Without insects, life on earth would collapse, millions of species would go extinct, and we would be surrounded by the carcases of dead animals.

The Green Party is the only party to support action on Biodiversity – we want to protect and restore nature, Elected Greens will campaign to:
Introduce a new Rights of Nature Act, giving rights to nature itself.
End the scandal of sewage pouring into our rivers and seas by taking the water companies back into public ownership.
Extend people’s access to green space and waterways close to where they live with a new English Right to Roam Act.
Set aside 30% of our land and seas by 2030 in which nature will receive the highest priority and protection.
Green MPs will also press for:
An immediate end to the emergency authorisation of bee-killing pesticides.
A new Clean Air (Human Rights) Act, giving everyone the right to breathe clean air.