Insect Conservation and Urban Environments PDF
Preview Insect Conservation and Urban Environments
Tim R. New Insect Conservation and Urban Environments Insect Conservation and Urban Environments Tim R. New Insect Conservation and Urban Environments Tim R. New Department of Ecology, Envivonment and Evolution La Trobe University Melbourne , VIC , Australia ISBN 978-3-319-21223-4 ISBN 978-3-319-21224-1 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-21224-1 Library of Congress Control Number: 2015944193 Springer Cham Heidelberg New York Dordrecht London © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015 T his work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifi cally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfi lms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. T he use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specifi c statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. T he publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Printed on acid-free paper Springer International Publishing AG Switzerland is part of Springer Science+Business Media ( w ww. springer.com ) Pref ace I ncreasing human populations engender increased changes to natural environments. Perhaps nowhere are those changes more drastic and severe than those related to the processes of urbanisation – with the outcomes represented by the increasing num- bers and size of towns and cities and their surrounds that must now house vast numbers of people and cater for their living, working and recreational needs, together with the industrial, infrastructure and transport systems that support those activities. Historically, many such developments have occurred with little regard for the natural environments they replace and the associated losses of native species and functioning communities of plants and animals. Yet, even within such concentra- tions of modifi cation and alienation of natural ecosystems, the natural biota may persist, and adapt, and such highly changed areas also present abundant opportunity for practical conservation and increasing awareness of the natural world. Attention to conservation of such native species in urban areas progressively incorporates measures to retain or restore more natural environments and to consider an increas- ing variety of biota – including invertebrates – and threats to them. As the most noticed, and most diverse, category of smaller animals, insects have aroused increas- ing attention in urban environments, both as pests and for their conservation – this both as individual species and for the messages insect species and assemblages help to convey on the health of local environments, not least through the changes in inci- dence, richness and assemblage composition they display in transitions between rural and urban regimes and infl uences of alien species whose wellbeing may be facilitated by urban conditions. T his book is a broad overview of information on the infl uences of urbanisation on insects and the means that can aid their conservation in some of the most altered of all anthropogenic environments. It draws from the principles of landscape ecol- ogy and conservation biology to summarise and demonstrate how the detailed knowledge available from the study of insects in towns and cities can contribute to planning for balanced sustainability. It illustrates the considerable variety of situa- tions that occur and the often uncertain balance between changes constituting severe threat or conservation opportunity – and the needs to understand this dilemma clearly – in the context of the range of impacts and novel ecological interactions that v vi Preface may eventuate. It also illustrates the very positive outcomes that can arise from sympathetic planning, incorporating ecological awareness, and the ways that, in turn, knowledge of insects may inform and improve urban ecosystem management and contribute to ameliorating some of the more harmful impacts that can otherwise occur. The complexities of urban ecology and urban planning come together in numerous different ways, but in many situations have not been harmonised for the greatest benefi ts of both people and the natural world. In this account, I hope to increase awareness of the roles and need of insects in urban environments, the ways in which these can be compromised and how considerate planning can redress many of the impacts or prevent them from occurring. The scope of ‘urban entomology’ has changed substantially since the classic Perspectives in Urban Entomology volume edited by Frankie and Koehler (1978), in which fundamental ecological and environmental considerations were somewhat secondary to problems related to management of insect pests in urban environ- ments – albeit for a broad array of pests ranging from medically important arthro- pods to pests of plants and buildings. Those problems, of course, persist but are now usually considered in a wider context of both social and ecological needs. That pioneering volume did, however, introduce the great array of insects and their bio- logical variety, and themes developed in the taxonomically arranged compendium by Robinson (2005). U rban E ntomology: Interdisciplinary Perspectives was broad- ened considerably as a second edited volume (Frankie and Koehler 1983), a compi- lation with contributions of enduring signifi cance in stimulating interest in urban insect conservation – with the essays by Pyle (1983) on endangered insects and Owen (1983) on values of gardens for insects, both pioneering in scope. Insects are recognised as functionally signifi cant components of ‘urban biodiver- sity’, with the wider ‘urban ecology’ a rapidly expanding discipline rendered urgent by ever-accelerating demands for human habitations and associated support sys- tems in which complex social issues must be integrated with environmental values to assure ‘quality of life’. This broad multifaceted science has generated an enor- mous recent literature covering themes as diverse as landscape ecology and plan- ning, building design, pollution and climate changes, transport systems and impacts, catering for human amenity and recreational needs, alien species impacts and many others – but with recognition that environmental quality, however it may be defi ned, is a key need and will commonly involve non-built ‘green areas’ in or near urban enclaves. Studies on all these topics and other related themes proliferate through a range of specialist journals dealing with urban environments and processes, together with numerous books, symposium proceedings and papers in many ecological and (a focus here) entomological journals. The diversity, complexity and vital impor- tance of many issues in urban ecology are illustrated excellently in the edited book compiled by Marzluff et al. (2008), but despite the wealth of information in that magisterial volume – an indispensable source for any student of urban ecology – insects get rather little mention. More recent texts, notably that edited by Niemela (2011), integrate many different aspects of urban planning and urban ecology that demonstrate the importance of biodiversity, and harmonising conservation and development refl ects some of the most urgent pressures on modern human society. Preface vii Many of the above contributions address problems of sustainability of environ- mental values and either implicitly or explicitly value ‘biodiversity’ in urban arenas, perhaps most frequently in terms of function (‘ecological services’) and perceptions by people (including ‘biophilia’). Both these complex themes invoke increased awareness of insect variety. Many studies also evaluate the changes that occur to natural biodiversity as urbanisation occurs, and increasing numbers of such investi- gations now consider insects or related arthropods, at scales from single sites to landscapes and from single species to whole assemblages or communities and inter- actions. Many also extend from descriptive studies of change to consider the wider ecological or sociological implications of those changes. This welcome trend mirrors several societal priorities and opportunities. Some that seem important are (1) the realisation that many insects and other biota are highly vulnerable to urbanisation-related changes and that their loss may affect eco- logical functions and processes that have wide impacts on humanity; (2) the grow- ing awareness that open spaces and ‘natural values’ have both societal and individual benefi ts as amenities and can be important in sustaining local native biota; (3) that even heavily urbanised areas contain much space that could be used constructively to support these biota; (4) that ethical behaviour fosters conservation and ecological integrity; (5) that many proposed developments, from expanding suburbs to indi- vidual buildings, to roadways and wider erosion of existing urban areas, can pro- ceed only on the basis of applying such conscience through ‘environmental impact statements’ or similar regulation that objectively presents the ‘cost-benefi t’ balance including potential harm to sensitive or signifi cant ecosystems and taxa; and (6) that many urban areas are geographically convenient study arenas for student projects and other research by being reasonably close to educational institutions and that (limited but welcome!) funding for such activities may be available through local government agencies for basic documentation contributing to impact assessments, as above. As a collective consequence, the importance of urban environments for insect wellbeing is increasingly recognised, together with some of the means by which their values can be enhanced to consolidate their signifi cant roles in wider insect conservation, and valuable tools in promoting education and public aware- ness are becoming increasingly prominent. The challenges of insect conservation and urban environments, and of meeting the pressures and threats that arise there, continue to daunt managers, government agencies, conservation biologists and entomologists alike. I hope that the encapsulation presented here, including material available to me up to mid-2014, may both help to convey the needs for this to occur and the important contributions that studies on urban ecosystems and insects con- tinue to make to the wellbeing of increasing proportions of humanity. Melbourne, Australia Tim R. New viii Preface References Frankie GW, Koehler CS (eds) (1978) Perspectives in urban entomology. Academic, New York Frankie, GW, Koehler CS (eds) (1983) Urban entomology: interdisciplinary perspectives. Praeger, New York Marzluff JM, Shullenberg E, Endlicher W, Alberti M, Bradley G, Ryan C, Zum Brunnen C, Simon W (eds) (2008) Urban ecology: an international perspective on the interaction between humans and nature. Springer, New York Niemela J (ed) (2011) Urban ecology: patterns, processes and applications. Oxford University Press, Oxford Owen J (1983) Effects of contrived plant diversity and permanent succession on insects in English suburban gardens. In: Frankie GW, Koehler CS (eds) Urban entomology: interdisciplinary per- spectives. Praeger, New York, pp 395–422 Pyle RM (1983) Urbanization and endangered insect populations. In: Frankie GW, Koehler CS (eds) Urban entomology: interdisciplinary perspectives. Praeger, New York, pp 367–394 R obinson WH (2005) Urban insects and arachnids: a handbook of urban entomology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Acknowledgements Permission to reproduce or modify previously published material has graciously been granted by the following individuals, publishers and organisations. Every effort has been made to obtain permissions for use in this book, and the publishers would welcome advice on any inadvertent omissions or corrections that should be incorporated in any future reprints or editions. Grateful thanks for permissions and/ or advice are extended to: Dr Maria Ignatieva; Cambridge University Press; Department of Environment Australia; Elsevier, Oxford; Ecological Society of America; Entomological Society of America; Entomological Society of Southern Africa; Finnish Zoological and Botanical Publishing Board; Island Press; Natural England; Oxford University Press; Springer Science and Business Media; University of Chicago Press; University of Melbourne and Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, Oxford. Most previously published fi gures have been redrawn to ensure consistency of format and lettering here, and some have been simplifi ed from the originals. T he photographs, most of them taken around Melbourne, Victoria, are not intended as ‘best practice’, but simply to exemplify some contexts and features of urban/periurban environments that relate to insect conservation examples and con- texts discussed in the text. This book owes much to the encouragement provided by Zuzana Bernhardt at Springer, whose friendship and continuing support is appreciated greatly. Mariska van der Stigchel’s practical help and wise advice, coupled with consistent optimism, in facilitating many of the above permissions and solving other problems during the book’s gestation has extended far beyond any reasonable expectation and has done much to assure its timely appearance. My Project Manager, Ms Sasikala Rajan, has carefully guided later production. ix
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