Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decline in insect populations in England in the past decade; what assessment they have made of the impact of this decline on predator populations; what causes for this decline they have identified; and how they plan to arrest and reverse this decline.

We publish several indicators of invertebrate abundance every year. Generally, the population trends of our native insect species show a mixed picture which varies between species and habitats. For example, the indicator for the overall abundance of butterflies in England has shown little or no change between 1976 and 2022 and while the index for farmland species has remained stable the abundance of woodland butterflies has declined steeply since 1990.

Insect decline is driven by various factors including habitat loss and fragmentation, climate change, introduction of new species and diseases, light pollution, pesticides and other aspects of agricultural intensification. It is difficult to attribute specific drivers to individual declines in insect species. However, land use change and habitat loss are likely to be the main contributors to insect decline within the UK.

Insects underpin food webs in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems so, alongside other factors such as habitat loss, changes in insect populations are likely to be contributing to declines in insectivorous species including bats, birds and amphibians.

This Government has set out its intention to deliver for nature, taking action to meet our Environment Act targets, and working in partnership with civil society, communities and business to restore and protect our natural world. For example, the Government will change existing policies to prevent the use of deadly neonicotinoid pesticides that threaten bees.

To inform delivery of the targets, Natural England’s ‘Threatened Species Recovery Actions’ project has already identified the targeted actions needed to for the conservation and recovery of 240 insect species. Assessment of a further 300 insect species is underway. Natural England’s Species Recovery Programme is key to delivering many of these recovery actions. Example projects include creating flight corridors and increasing food plants for the pearl bordered fritillary butterfly, woodland enhancement for the grizzled skipper butterfly and the reintroduction of one of our rarest grasshoppers, the large marsh grasshopper.

Additionally, we will change existing policies to prevent the use of those neonicotinoid pesticides that threaten our vital pollinators.