Preface

Insects represent a diverse group of animals with numerous species on the planet. They contribute significantly to maintaining and proper functioning of different ecosystems. Insects pollinate crops, improve soil characteristics, provide food for other animals, recycle nutrients, and control insect pests. During the last decade, scientists began to speak loudly about global insect decline. They used alarming terminologies such as defaunation, insectageddon, insect apocalypse, and extinction in the literature to describe such decline in insect abundance, biomass, and species richness. The use of such alarming words may be justified in order to raise awareness about the negative impacts of insect decline on agricultural sustainability, the environment, and food security. The decline of insects could severely affect birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and small mammals that utilize insects as a source of food. This will have great repercussions on the overall ecosystem. Evidence shows that the numbers of different groups of insects including butterflies, moths, bumblebees, stingless bees, honeybees, dragonflies, and beetles are beginning to decrease. There are many reasons for this global decline, including agricultural intensification, urbanization, habitat destruction, and climate change. However, intensive agriculture, particularly the heavy and unwise use of pesticides that persist in the ecosystem, is the major cause.

This book amalgamates information pertaining to the global decline of insects with emphasis on the potential reasons behind this decline and the possible means of mitigating it. It contains eleven chapters distributed into two sections. Section 1 includes five chapters that discuss potential causes of insect decline. Section 2 contains six chapters that elaborate on potential measures to mitigate this decline.

Chapter 1 by Dar et al. discuss the causes and reasons for insect decline with emphasis on factors such as heavy use of pesticides, habitat destruction, urbanization, climate change, and introduction of new invasive species. In Chapter 2, Bali and Kaleka elaborate on the systematic drivers of insect decline including habitat or landscape fragmentation, deforestation, and climate change. In Chapter 3, Abudulai et al. explain the impact of agricultural intensification on insect abundance and biodiversity. Manzoor and Pervez highlight the potential impact of pesticides on the honeybee in Chapter 4. In Chapter 5, Kaleka and Kaur provide useful information on the diversity, importance, and decline of pollinating insects in the present era. They point out the significance of the different groups of pollinators such as bees, wasps, butterflies, moths, ants, and beetles as well as the reasons behind their decline in the different ecosystems.

Section 2 contains chapters dealing with the measures that could halt or mitigate the impacts of global insect decline on the planet's ecosystems. In chapter 6, Ahmed et al. discuss plant-based biological insecticides as alternative and environmentally friendly insect control methods with a benign or mild adverse effects on insects. Likewise, in Chapter 7, Iqbal et al. address botanicals with active ingredients having insecticidal, antifeeding, and repellent properties. In Chapter 8, Thenepalli explains the role of microorganisms in the biodegradation of pesticides and the impact of the whole process in the alleviation of the harmful effect of pesticides on insects.

In Chapter 9, Muzafar et al. highlight the importance of proper insect conservation and management reducing the global decline of insect abundance and species richness. Minimal intervention in the ecosystem will help maintain insect numbers and biodiversity. In this respect, in Chapter 10, Saleem and Anis describe a new species of a natural enemy of pests, which could play an important role in checking the numbers of harmful insects. Finally, in Chapter 11, El-Shafie discusses the impact of organic farming on insect abundance and biodiversity, with organic farming as an agricultural approach for the production of food with the aim of restoring ecosystems.

This book is for entomologists, ecologists, botanists, environmentalists, students, and amateurs who love insect collection and preservation.

I would like to thank the chapter authors who contributed to the book by writing, revising, and submitting their work. Without their contributions, it would have been difficult to produce this book. Other contributors who deserve thanks and acknowledgments are the staff at IntechOpen, especially Author Service Manager Ms. Karmen Daleta and Commissioning Editor Ms. Iva Simcic for their unlimited assistance during the preparation of the book.

I wish to express my sincere and heartfelt thanks to my wife Nawal, son Ayman, and daughters Hiba, Hala, Safa, and Lojain for their continuous moral support, understanding, and encouragement during the preparation of this book. The editor appreciates and acknowledges the logistic support provided by the Date Palm Research Center of Excellence, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia. I wish to thank all members of the Department of Crop Protection, University of Khartoum, Sudan, for their support and encouragement.

#### **Dr. Hamadttu Abdel Farag El-Shafie**

Research Entomologist, Date Palm Research Center of Excellence, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia

> Department of Crop Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Khartoum, Shambat, Sudan

### Section 1
