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A Wild Evening with Ross Piper
Overview
Ross looks at the extraordinary diversity of insects, what makes them so important, why they’re under threat and what we can do to help them
Insects, among all animals, are completely unparalleled in terms of species number and the breadth of their lifestyles: from wasps so tiny that several could fit comfortably inside a full-stop, all the way up to hand-sized beetles. Globally, just over one million species have been described, with millions more still out there and so much yet to learn about their biology. What we do know is that they live in every conceivable way on land and in freshwater. With so many species and individuals, insects have their feet in a lot of pies, ecologically speaking. Whether it’s pollination, the recycling of organic matter, the churning of the soil or simply being eaten by larger animals, their reach is immense. Without them, humans wouldn’t survive very long at all.
Regardless of how successful they are, insects face a new challenge in the shape of humans. Long-term data from lots of places around the world appear to show that some insects are in steep decline – a direct result of human activity. We’ve been very good at making more humans, our growing population bending more and more of the environment to our needs. In the last fifty years alone we’ve hammered the natural world in new and creative ways, using our fiendishly ingenious technology to destroy, convert and consume it. The destruction and fragmentation of habitats wipes out populations and species, leaving any survivors isolated and vulnerable to other calamities. The good news is that insects are nothing if not resilient and there’s lots we can do to reverse these declines.
Our Speaker
Dr Ross Piper is an entomologist and zoologist whose work has taken him around the world. Through his writing and TV work he shares his enthusiasm for the remarkable diversity of the other animals we share this planet with. The most recent species he has discovered is named after his young daughter, although she was rather underwhelmed.
Join us at Woodbridge Methodist Church for an inspiring evening of knowledge-sharing and networking.
Doors open at 6:30PM for a cup of tea and the opportunity to mingle.