Additional policy initiatives and solutions needed in the UK and internationally to reduce and reverse the trends in insect decline 

Adopting a ‘three compartment’ model of land use could help reduce and reverse the trends in insect decline in the UK. Green Alliance’s analysis has shown that a three compartment model, which combines semi-natural habitat with low-yield and high-yield farmland, is the most effective and cost efficient way of balancing food security with restoring nature and reaching net zero in the UK, while research for Natural England confirms that this benefits insect populations when compared with other models of land use.

Farming makes up over 70 per cent of land use in the UK, but yields vary enormously. In England, the most productive 40 per cent produces two thirds of the food produced, while at the other end of the scale the worst 20 per cent of farmland produces just three per cent. A three compartment model would see farmers on the best agricultural land maximise yields in as sustainable a way as possible, using precision technology and practices such as natural pest control to reduce artificial inputs and integrate more nature where it benefits yields. Farmers on the poorest land for food production would be paid to manage biodiverse woodlands, wetlands and species rich grassland habitats as the dominant land uses. On the land in between, a balance of food production and payment for environmental delivery would increase returns for farmers while producing the best outcomes for climate and nature.

Our preferred scenario modelled in Shaping UK Land Use (pp17-19) demonstrates how the three compartment model would allow the UK to effectively balance food production with nature and climate priorities. Under this scenario, agroecology would expand to make up the majority of farmland in 2050, and ten percent of currently farmed land would become semi-natural habitat by 2030, rising to a third in 2050. The remainder would be farmed at high yield. This results in:

• Nature decline in the UK being reversed by 2030. The average size of populations of wild bird species would increase by 80 per cent by 2050.
• Expensive, land intensive BECCS is limited as greenhouse gas mitigation is achieved through habitat creation and peatland restoration, and some waste-derived BECCS.
• Farm incomes would increase for the 62 percent least profitable farms as farmers are paid for nature restoration.
• The UK’s overseas land footprint would halve thanks to a reduction in meat and dairy consumption. This would be enabled by alternative proteins reaching taste and price parity with processed meats.

Although our modelling used bird populations, a three compartment approach is likely to benefit species across the board, including insects. This is because habitat is created for both species that do well on farmland and habitat specialists that live elsewhere. Indeed, a study commissioned by Natural England found that butterfly numbers improved under a three compartment model, outperforming more extreme land sparing (high-yield farming combined with semi-natural habitat) and land sharing (low-yield farming everywhere) scenarios.

A three compartment model will also benefit insect populations by leading to a reduction in pesticide and fungicide use, as low-input agroecological farming methods become more widespread, as well as precision techniques reducing use on high-yield farmland. Research by the Wildlife Trusts has found that reducing the use of these chemicals is crucial in reducing and reversing trends in insect decline.