Description

Insect Conservation: A Global Synthesis is a landmark, field-defining work written by Professor Michael Samways, one of the founding fathers of this burgeoning discipline of conservation science. This book presents a state-of-the-art, comprehensive review of the entire field of insect conservation, from single-species conservation to whole-ecosystem approaches, and from natural ecosystems to the urban landscape.

The variety and number of insects are truly vast. They are the most speciose group of organisms on Earth, with the majority barely known to science or still not described at all. They are a vital component in all terrestrial ecosystems, which would fail to function normally without them.

Insect populations worldwide, however, are under threat. Human-mediated degradation of natural habitats, pollution, over-use of pesticides, and the spread of urbanization has led to the collapse of insect populations in many areas of the world. A growing recognition of the importance of insects in natural and agricultural systems has stimulated the development of an entire discipline dedicated to their conservation.

Insect Conservation: A Global Synthesis is designed to be used by students of conservation biology and ecology, but also serves as an essential overview for professional entomologists with an interest in conservation, and for conservationists interested in insects. The book communicates on three levels: (i) through the text, with extensive references providing a gateway to the ever-increasing primary literature; (ii) through the extensive use of carefully constructed illustrations, with detailed captions which act to summarize the text and are complete in their own right; and (iii) through focused key points at the end of every chapter, which summarise the main learning points for students.

Table of contents

  • Chapter 1: Foundations for insect conservation
  • Chapter 2: Landscape-scale insect conservation in three dimensions
  • Chapter 3: Landscape descriptors and insect conservation dynamics
  • Chapter 4: Species-level operational scale in insect conservation
  • Chapter 5: Approaches and perspectives in insect species conservation
  • Chapter 6: Agroecology and insect conservation
  • Chapter 7: Insect conservation in forest, grassland, and cave systems
  • Chapter 8: Conservation of freshwater insects
  • Chapter 9: Insect conservation in towns and cities
  • Chapter 10: Restoration of insect habitats
  • Chapter 11: Ecological assessment, inventorying and mapping in insect conservation
  • Chapter 12: Surrogacy, bioindication and monitoring in insect conservation
  • Chapter 13: Future-proofing the world of insects

Readership

Suitable for: Graduate students of conservation biology, ecology, and biodiveristy conservation, academic ecologists and conservation biologists needing a review of the field of insect conservation and its techniques, and all practicing conservationists working in terrestrial habitats

Reviews

This comprehensive textbook summarizes the current knowledge of insect conservation at a global scale. The text is easy to read and well-documented, with a reference list including more than 110 pages. The combination with the excellent summarizing drawings is unique. It is an infinite source of knowledge. Everyone will find something new or better explained in this book. For everyone who is interested in insects or engaged in nature conservation the book is a must. - Thomas Fartmann

The excellent selection of both, classical and very recent, literature references enables any reader to easily dig deeper into a speci?c research subject. The high intrinsic motivation of the author to promote the subject to students and colleagues is evident throughout the book and there is really no "weak" individual chapter. I can highly recommend this book to everyone who's practical work or scienti?c research addresses insect conservation even in the widest context. Given the very high quality of the writing and content, this book is also recommended to everyone in the wider public who is not afraid of learning about science. - Klaus Birkhofer

This book is a thorough and necessarily incomplete synthesis of how to value and conserve insects in the Anthropocene. Many of the strategies mentioned have been attempted with success in different parts of the world, and we know enough to act immediately (Harvey et al. 2020; Samways et al. 2020). We now need to expand these local strategies. Two features make this book particularly easy to follow. First, the wealth of illustrations with extensive legends that allow the reader to fol-low all the arguments made in the main text. These help frame full concepts within a limited space. Second, these illustrations are complemented by a list of key points at the end of each chapter, which reiterates the arguments in bulleted points or take-away messages. The book will be of value in classroom instruction and to practitioners worldwide and serves as a guide for further developments in the area. - Pedro Cardoso

In my mind, this book is a gateway. It is well suited to introduce university students and others to the wide range of the issues at play. By covering such breadth, it is impossible to go into great depth on any one subject. However, that breadth is this book's strength: it paves the way to inspire the student or conservationist with well-prepared questions to dig deeper into the subject matter as it relates to their interests, locale, or land use. When coupled with deeper study into specialized skills-such as integrated pest and pollinator management, natural area management, native plant restoration, or species status assessment-universities could support a new cohort of conservation practitioners. Thanks to Samways, these new insect conservationists would understand the complicated nature of the field, but also have the specific skills needed to address the wide range of conservation challenges unique to the country, ecosystem, or landscape where they live and work. To manage this breadth of information, Samways includes info-graphics designed to make key points, as well as bulleted summaries at the end of each chapter, helping the reader home in on key issues (and in my case, catch relevant things I missed in my rush through a chapter). - Mace Vaughan

Michael Samways, Fellow of the Royal Society of South Africa and Member of the Academy of Science of South Africa, is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Conservation Ecology & Entomology, Stellenbosch University, South Africa. He focuses on all aspects of insect conservation, both nationally and internationally. Michael is recipient of the John Herschel Medal of the Royal Society of South Africa, the Senior Captain Scott and Gold Medals of the South African Academy of Science and Arts, and Gold Medal of the Academy of Science of South Africa. He received the life-time Stellenbosch University Chancellor’s Award, and IUCN/Species Survival Commission Chair’s Citation of Excellence. He and his team, the Mondi Ecological Networks Programme, were named Winner of the NSTF-South32 Award.

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