Insect conservation in the age of biodiversity declines: an overview of South African research over the last 25 years and future considerations

Abstract

Arthropods are crucial to ecosystems, yet face multiple threats, with recent studies indicating global declines and many species at risk of extinction. The primary threats include land use change, climate change, invasive species, pesticides, pollution, and overexploitation, all of which can interact to compound this vulnerability. Although most insect conservation research comes from the Global North, South Africa has a long history of insect (and other arthropod) conservation, including comprehensive IUCN Red List assessments. We systematically assessed South African insect conservation in the peer reviewed literature (2000–2024) to identify research patterns, gaps, and implementation priorities. The Grasslands and Fynbos biomes are the most sampled, with the Succulent Karoo the least. Most work focused on beetles, dragonflies, butterflies, ants, grasshoppers, and spiders. Few studies provide publicly available data (<2%) or indicate where reference collections were housed (31%). The main threats identified in South Africa are habitat loss and fragmentation through agriculture, pesticides, timber plantations, and invasive species. Most studies highlighted solutions, including greening of urban and agricultural landscapes, reduced pesticide use, and establishing conservation corridors. Research output has increased fourfold between 2000–2004 and 2020–2024, but the lack of long-term monitoring and data accessibility challenges means we cannot confidently assess population trends across most of South Africa’s insect diversity. South Africa’s extensive conservation entomology research should inform policy changes and public education. South Africa has demonstrated the capacity for large-scale insect conservation, yet we need to build on these achievements by establishing monitoring networks which are essential for sustaining ecological function and human well-being.