A child's eye view of the insect world: perceptions of insect diversity

• Published in: Environmental conservation Vol. 34; no. 1; pp. 33 - 35
• Main Authors: SNADDON, J. L., TURNER, E. C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.03.2007; CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Arthropoda; Arthropods; Biodiversity; Biodiversity conservation; Biological and medical sciences; Butterflies; Children & youth; conservation; Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife; Correlations; Environmental conservation; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Insecta; Insects; Invertebrates; National Insect Week; Parks, reserves, wildlife conservation. Endangered species: population survey and restocking; Perceptions; public awareness; Species; Species extinction; Taxa; Wildlife conservation; World; United Kingdom > UK; British Isles; conservation; public awareness; National Insect Week; Human; Arthropoda; Insecta; Conservation; Diversity; Perception; Invertebrata; Child; Environmental protection
• ISSN: 0376-8929; 1469-4387
• DOI: 10.1017/S0376892907003669

Insects worldwide are undergoing unprecedented rates of decline, with many species severely threatened or already extinct. Despite their extreme diversity and functional importance in ecosystems, this extinction crisis has seldom gained media attention; endangered large mammals and birds receive much greater coverage. In the UK, where the insect fauna is relatively depauperate and well known, this bias has recently been redressed by a range of initiatives that highlighted the importance of insect conservation. This study investigated the popularity of different arthropod groups drawn by children (as part of one such event), in modern culture and in the scientific literature. Children's preference for insect groups strongly correlated with their representation in modern culture and in the scientific literature. However none of the measures of popularity of each group correlated with their abundance or conservation status in the UK. The profile of lesser-known groups therefore needs to be raised to reduce the chance that threatened taxa are overlooked for conservation action.