Introducing Our New Initiative for Insect Conservation Science
The Insect Conservation Center at the Farmscape Ecology Program aims to understand the status of insect populations in the Hudson Valley, to inspire an appreciation for insects among the public, and to advocate for insect conservation in our region.
Over the past 20 years, concern has emerged around the health of the world’s insect populations. A plethora of scientific studies have documented dramatic declines in insect populations across the globe, and even lay people have remarked on the “windshield phenomenon,” observing that the once-routine activity of cleaning insect splatter off one’s car now rarely (if ever) needs to be done. The causes of insect declines remain unclear and may be multifaceted, with changes in the climate, land use, and insecticide use appearing particularly likely to be implicated. However, regardless of what factors drive them, insect declines are a cause for alarm: insects play key roles both as consumers and as food resources for other organisms in virtually all terrestrial ecosystems, and they provide economic benefits to humanity (especially in agriculture) by performing a variety of “ecosystem services” such as pollination, pest control, and the recycling of detritus, dung, and carrion. For these reasons, if humanity is to protect Earth’s ecosystems and preserve the livelihoods we are accustomed to, it is vital and urgent that insect declines be understood and reversed.
Since our founding in 2003, insects have been a research priority for us here at the Farmscape Ecology Program (FEP). Because of the innumerable ways in which insects mediate the function of our ecosystems, and especially our agroecosystems—as pollinators, as both pests and natural enemies, as food for other organisms, and more—their ecology is inseparable from that of our landscapes as a whole. Furthermore, insects make up an enormous proportion of our region’s biodiversity, and many species are sensitive to environmental change, so a deep knowledge of our insect fauna is crucial for developing a complete picture of our biotic communities and their conservation needs. For these reasons, we have cultivated expertise in a variety of insect groups, particularly those that are known to provide ecosystem services to humans or that are known to be sensitive to environmental change.
Our centering of insects in our research has allowed our team to develop a unique familiarity with the insect fauna of our region. FEP has become a go-to resource in our community for expertise on butterflies and dragonflies, two groups of insects that can serve as indicators of healthy ecosystems. We also have documented the first records of a number of insect species from New York State, including several species of parasitic wasps, an ant associated with threatened dry grassland habitats, and a rare angel insect. What sets us apart most, however, is that our staff have developed special expertise in “dark taxa”: insect groups that are abundant and hyperdiverse, yet have largely been overlooked by researchers in the past (likely due to the difficulty in studying them, as most insects that entomologists consider to be dark taxa are minuscule and challenging to identify). These little-known insects have recently emerged as priorities for research and conservation in light of the concern around global insect declines, and our work on these groups has made us a regional leader in their study.
Recognizing the urgency of the need to understand insect declines and how that need dovetails with our team’s research priorities and expertise, in 2025 we launched a new initiative to advance insect conservation science and promote public sympathy for insects in our community: The Insect Conservation Center at the Farmscape Ecology Program. While remaining under the umbrella of FEP, the Center is intended as a way to bring greater attention to our insect research and to serve as a catalyst for new projects focused specifically on understanding the diversity of insects in the Hudson Valley and their conservation needs. Our first such project, an investigation into the effect of leaf litter on insects overwintering in lawns, is now underway thanks to the support of several generous donors and more than 20 community members who came forward to help make the study a reality. Education and outreach are also priorities for the Center, and we have taken exciting steps in that direction too. In August, thanks to a grant from the Ackerman Foundation, our entomology team hosted an inaugural insect-focused nature walk that involved its attendees in real science: during the walk, our biologist Kyle Bradford confirmed that a population of the globally threatened ant Lasius murphyi persists in Columbia County. Then, in October, FEP’s entire staff participated in throwing our first-ever Halloween Bug House, during which we opened our doors to the public for an afternoon of spooky nature-themed fun in the form of crafts, games, treats, and a variety of hands-on learning stations inviting visitors to explore the worlds of insects, bats, and other “creepy” denizens of our landscape. To our delight, both events were received with great enthusiasm by the public!
We are excited that our history has prepared us to meet the current moment by applying our entomology expertise to a new focus on insect conservation science, and as we look to the future, we are eager to share the things that we will discover with you.
