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Cambridge Global Food Security

An Interdisciplinary Research Centre at the University of Cambridge
 
Bumblebee on dead nettles Image by Annette Meyer from Pixabay

Cambridge Global Food Security Interdisciplinary Research Centre, Wolfson College Interdisciplinary Research Hub on Sustainability & Conservation, and the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership have submitted written evidence in response to the House of Common’s Science, Innovation and Technology Committee’s call for evidence on insect decline and UK food security.

The inquiry is prompted by recent research that suggests that in the UK flying insects have declined by 60% in the past 20 years. Insects provide pivotal roles for UK food security including pollination and pest or weed regulation. There are also concerns that pest species may be increasing with negative impacts on crop yields.

The response submitted jointly by GFS, Wolfson College and CISL draws on two distinct perspectives. Firstly, a series of current and proposed field-based projects at Wolfson College, which, like other constituent colleges of the University, is a registered charity for education and research; Wolfson College is testing new ways of supporting insect populations on its nine-acre suburban campus and on Wildlife Trust sites. Secondly, they drew on a project undertaken expressly for this inquiry, updating earlier collaborative work undertaken through the Cambridge Conservation Initiative concerning the private sector; it assesses corporate responses to the insect decline. Their evidence describes unique findings from each project, as well as common conclusions that affect both sectors.

The Committee aims to build understanding of the role of insects in the UK food system and the economic impact of their decline and the associated risk to UK food security. It seeks to examine the evidence base for insect abundance in the UK, current drivers of insect loss and the Government’s interventions to halt or reverse declines.

Please find the link to the written evidence and more information about the inquiry here.

Cambridge University Research News on Food Security