Insect diversity is a good indicator of biodiversity status in Africa

Abstract:

Reliable metrics to monitor human impacts on biodiversity are essential for informing conservation policy. As insects are indicators of global change, whose declines profoundly affect ecosystems, insect diversity may predict biodiversity status. Here we present an unbiased and straightforward biodiversity status metric based on insect diversity (richness) and landscape naturalness. Insect diversity was estimated using spatially explicit earth observation data and insect species assemblages across microhabitats in two agro-ecological zones in Africa. Landscape naturalness was estimated using various human impact factors. Biodiversity status values differed considerably (p