ABSTRACT

Biodiversity underpins the functioning of ecosystems, which provide a wide range of ecosystem services, including the provision of food and feed and for this reason, the accelerated rate of species loss can compromise food security. In recent years, insects have made the headlines due to the call for attention on the global decline of bees and other pollinators – both natural and managed, particularly in North America and Europe. Besides pollination, insects play important roles in food security delivering ecological services like biological control or serving as food and feed due to their nutritional composition on protein, fat, minerals and vitamins. In comparison to conventional livestock, insects have higher feed conversion efficiencies, lower water and land requirements, and lower greenhouse gas emissions. However, they are currently one of the most threatened taxa, facing significant challenges mainly due to habitat loss and fragmentation, pollution, invasive species, climate change and overharvesting. In addition, since most insects consumed are currently collected in the wild, an increase in their consumption will lead to overexploitation of wild species. As research shows potential biotechnological uses of insects, simultaneously, ecological studies show their declines. Biodiversity loss and global food security are currently two major challenges of our time and finding synergies between can contribute to enhanced sustainable development.