Pesticides are responsible for the biodiversity crisis, reveals a macro -state

This is the conclusion of the first study that has evaluated the impact of pesticides in all types of species on terrestrial and aquatic habitats.

The research, conducted by an international team and led by the University of Science and Technology of Eastern China, has been published this Thursday in Nature Communications.

To do this meta -analysis, The team reviewed more than 1,700 laboratory and field studies on the effects of 471 different types of pesticides (fungicides, insecticides or herbicides) for agricultural, commercial or domestic use.

In more than 800 terrestrial and aquatic species, pesticides affected the growth rate, reproductive success and even altered behaviors such as the ability to capture dams, find plants to feed, move or attract the couple.

In addition, pesticides can also affect the metabolism of organisms and damage cells.

These negative effects They can cause the premature death of wild organisms and reduce their populations, concludes the metaanális.

The researchers affirm that, unlike previous studies that have tended to look at specific groups of species such as bees, fish or plants, or in concrete habitats, they have taken into account the entire species spectrum that is found in The natural world.

A necessary evil

“Our study offers an unprecedented vision of the consequences of the use of pesticides in the natural environment worldwide,” says co -author, Ben Woodcock, an ecologist at the UK Center for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH).

“Pesticides are a necessary evil, without which world food production and the livelihoods of farmers would probably collapse. But, our conclusions show the need for policies and practices that reduce its use, ”warns the researcher.

“They could include initiatives from the bottom directed by farmers, such as regenerative agriculture, as well as government policies such as the incentive for sustainable agriculture of Defra, which pays farmers to reduce the use of insecticides in crops,” he proposes.

For Dave Goulson, researcher at the University of Sussex and co -author of the study, it is worrying to have discovered that Pesticides “have generalized negative effects on plants, animals, fungi and microbes, that threaten the integrity of ecosystems”.

Find alternatives

The study recalls that excessive use of pesticides not only threatens the beneficial species to which they are not intended, but can also make pests develop resistance to chemicals, making them ineffective.

In the European Union, More than 10% of the lands dedicated to agricultural production are ecological and do not use synthetic pesticides.

As alternative options for farmers, the study proposes the plantation of wild flowers and beetle banks to support the species that feed on pests, which allows them to reduce fumigation when there are a large number of these natural predators present.

Other measures, the authors add, the moment of planting could be advanced to avoid pests and rotate crops to break the vital cycles of the species and reduce their number.

Gardeners can also contribute to reducing the use of chemical products with natural pest control options such as the introduction of nematodes, shelves or miteswhich can be purchased on the Internet, and the promotion of other natural predators such as frogs, birds and hedgehogs through a gardening respectful of fauna.

In addition, physical barriers, such as networks, can avoid damage caused by caterpillars and birds, the authors add.

“In the future it is necessary to look for possibilities to develop agricultural methods that respond better to our natural pest controllers, such as surveillance through artificial intelligence of pests and predators with high -tech cameras,” concludes Woodcock.