RCN: An International Network to Assess the Status of Insects

有大量证据表明，在地球上许多地区，昆虫的数量和多样性都在下降。这种不可持续的损失率将对地球生态系统的功能产生多方面的影响。昆虫提供的基本生态系统服务——授粉、凋落物分解和土壤形成、害虫防治和养分循环——对生物圈的功能、粮食生产和人类健康至关重要。据估计，昆虫和其他无脊椎动物每年提供的全球生态系统服务超过1万亿美元。这个为期五年的研究协调网络（RCN）将汇集来自世界各地的科学家，研究全球昆虫种群和群落的现状和轨迹。这个国际科学家网络的任务是确定下降的幅度和模式，确定生态系统功能和人类福利的主要原因和后果，并制定减轻和扭转损失的政策建议。这项研究将开发教育和推广材料，提高人们对昆虫的认识和欣赏，昆虫是控制世界的小东西。RCN将联合昆虫学家、保护生物学家、社区科学家、农林专业人士、政策制定者、数据科学家和其他利益相关者(a)开发社区驱动的系统数据综合方法，(b)绘制和元分析全球昆虫种群和多样性趋势的当前知识，以及(c)提出保护昆虫生物多样性的途径。该多国网络将收集全球证据，确定数据缺口，制定社区认可的昆虫监测数据标准，评估种群变化的地理和分类模式，综合主要威胁信息，推进统计方法对昆虫种群趋势相关定量数据进行meta分析，建议保护昆虫生物多样性的近期和长期战略，并促进政策制定以支持这些战略。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

There is substantial evidence that insects are declining in both abundance and diversity across many regions of the planet. These unsustainable rates of loss will have manifold consequences for the functioning of the planet’s ecosystems. Essential ecosystem services provided by insects—pollination, litter decomposition and soil formation, pest control, and nutrient cycling — are essential for the functioning of the biosphere, food production, and human health. Estimates of global ecosystem services provided by insects and other invertebrates exceed $1 trillion annually. This five-year Research Coordination Network (RCN) will bring together scientists from around the world to study the status and trajectories of insect populations and communities globally. This network of international scientists will be tasked with determining the magnitude and patterns of decline, identifying the primary causes and consequences for ecosystem function and human welfare, and developing policy recommendations to mitigate and reverse the losses. The research will develop educational and outreach materials that will raise awareness for and appreciation of insects — the little things that run the world.The RCN will unite entomologists, conservation biologists, community scientists, agriculture and forestry professionals, policy-makers, data scientists, and other stakeholders to (a) develop a community-driven approach to systematic data synthesis, (b) map and meta-analyze current knowledge of insect population and diversity trends globally, and (c) propose pathways to protect insect biodiversity. The multinational network will compile global evidence, identify data gaps, develop community-endorsed data standards for insect monitoring, assess geographic and taxonomic patterns of population change, synthesize information on principal threats, advance statistical methods to meta-analyze quantitative data relevant to insect population trends, recommend immediate and long-term strategies to protect insect biodiversity, and promote policy development to support these strategies.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.