From apathy to advocacy: Insect stewardship for our modern world

Abstract

As human-driven urbanization, environmental change, agricultural intensification, pesticides, pollution, and invasive species expand across the globe, our insect populations face precipitous decline. Meanwhile, the connection of our modern societies with nature mirrors this decline. As academics, we must become active advocates for insect stewardship worldwide. Insect stewardship requires us to move beyond promoting respect for insects and their survival to citizen-led protection and management of insects through habitat protection, ethical considerations, and sustainable practices. This perspective offers a discussion on modern culture's increasing disconnection with insects as well as current interventions to increase insect stewardship based on the COM-B (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation to Behavior) model of behavioral change.