Insect decline - Artensterben

Wind power – a threat to birds, bats, and insects?

A bird in an agricultural landscape in front of wind turbines: Local risks are weighed against global climate and biodiversity effects. ( © Canva Pro)

22. January 2026 Doreen Fräßdorf

Between wildlife conservation and climate protection: Does wind power harm birds, bats and insects?

Wind turbines are a key pillar of the energy transition. They generate electricity without burning fossil fuels and therefore help reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and curb climate change. During operation they produce neither CO₂ emissions nor air pollutants, require little water, and today rank among the most cost-effective forms of electricity

Species-rich meadows are increasingly disappearing from the landscape. As insect species are lost, not only biodiversity declines, but also biomass – with consequences for entire ecosystems.

7. January 2026 Doreen Fräßdorf

New study shows: insect biomass decline is primarily driven by species loss

For years, there has been talk of insect decline. People describe silent summer nights, clean windshields, and meadows where hardly anything is buzzing anymore. What was initially dismissed as a subjective impression has now been confirmed: several long-term studies show that insect biomass in Central Europe has declined sharply. The

Female morphotype specimen of Franklin's bumblebee: collected on May 20, 1972 west of Oregon City. The specimen is preserved in the entomology collection of the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. (© USNMENT01006817 - Bombus franklini (Frison, 1921) Collected in United States of America, CC0 1.0, via GBIF)

24. October 2025 Doreen Fräßdorf

Franklin’s Bumblebee—the first extinct bumblebee in North America?

Franklin’s bumblebee had the unfortunate distinction of having the smallest range of all bumblebee species in North America—and probably even worldwide. It occurred only in a narrow strip between the Pacific coast and the mountain ranges of the Sierra Nevada and the Cascade Range to the east, in southern Oregon

Light pollution: A dome of light forms above cities that is visible even from afar—it makes the stars disappear and displaces natural darkness.

29. April 2025 Doreen Fräßdorf

When the night disappears: Why light pollution contributes to species extinction

When night falls, the day begins for many animals: bats go hunting for insects, frogs start their mating calls— and moths take on an often overlooked role in the ecosystem. They pollinate flowers that are specifically adapted to nocturnal pollinators: these plants open only in the evening and deliberately attract

Pestizide in der Landwirtschaft führen zum Artenschwund

Pesticide use in agriculture: A tractor sprays a field with chemical crop protection products. Such applications have far-reaching consequences for the environment because they can affect not only pests, but also numerous non-target organisms and entire ecosystems.

14. February 2025 Doreen Fräßdorf

Agriculture: Pesticides drive species extinction

Pesticides are used worldwide in modern agriculture to combat undesirable organisms—so-called pests—and secure crop yields. But these chemical crop protection products do not act only on the intended target organisms; they also harm a wide range of plants, animals and microorganisms that are essential to ecological balance. A comprehensive study,

The Old World swallowtail, one of Europe's largest and most impressive butterflies, is widespread across the Palearctic and represented by numerous subspecies. Its subspecies endemic to Taiwan was likely wiped out by the 1999 earthquake. (© Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

24. November 2024 Doreen Fräßdorf

Taiwan: How an earthquake wiped out a butterfly species

An earthquake in 1999 may have wiped out the Taiwanese swallowtail subspecies Papilio machaon sylvina forever. According to a recent study in the journal PLOS, this may be the first documented case in which an earthquake caused the extinction of a butterfly. The Old World swallowtail (Papilio machaon), one of