Global Insect Numbers Have Dropped <br />27 Percent Over 3 Decades, Study Finds The study can be found <br />in the journal, 'Science.' Data and research were gathered <br />from nearly 1,700 locations and <br />over 10,000 kinds of insects. The analysis claims that <br />populations are dropping by<br />just under one percent annually. Michigan State University butterfly expert <br />Nick Haddad calls the decline "jaw dropping." Nick Haddad, via NBC News The biggest drops were found in Europe <br />and North America, particularly the Midwest. Lead author and entomologist Roel van Klink <br />says croplands, urban and suburban areas <br />are where decreases were most notable. Van Klink adds that urbanization <br />and loss of habitat could be <br />main causes of the decline. While land insects have seen their numbers fall, <br />the study adds that populations for freshwater insects <br />have jumped one percent annually. These types of bugs, which include dragonflies and mosquitoes, <br />only make up a small part of the global insect world.
