September 17, 2026
Insects are fundamental to the functioning of ecosystems and to food production, but they remain largely absent from biodiversity conservation strategies in the tropics. A new study led by Monash University proposes a global model to overcome the main knowledge gaps and improve the protection of these animals.
Published in the journal BioScience, the study brings together tropical ecology specialists from several countries and identifies four major obstacles to tropical insect conservation: the limited international visibility of existing research, the lack of data, insufficient research infrastructures, and still limited conservation action.
Insects constitute the most diverse group of animals on the planet, with an estimate of 14 to 30 million species, the majority of which have yet to be documented. They pollinate more than 80% of wild plant species, serve as food for 60% of bird species, and play essential roles in food webs, in nutrient cycling, and in food production.
Nevertheless, the knowledge used in conservation is heavily concentrated in temperate regions, which account for only about 20% of the world’s insect diversity.
“More than 80% of insect species occur in the tropics, but these are precisely the places where some of the largest gaps in our knowledge exist,” says Shawan Chowdhury, head of the Global Change Ecology Lab at Monash University and the study’s lead author.
“We cannot effectively conserve species if we do not know what exists, where populations are changing, or even where important knowledge that already exists can be found.”
A data and knowledge access problem
The proposal also involves strengthening local scientific capacities and creating better links between research and those responsible for conservation policies.
The scale of the information gap is significant. About 26% of the data on insect distributions available in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility originate from the United Kingdom, even though most of the world’s insect diversity is found in tropical regions.
“Some of the information we urgently need already exists, but it may be in a local newspaper, in the hands of a regional expert, in a collection, or even in photographs shared online,” explains Chowdhury.
“The answer does not simply lie in collecting more data. We need to be much better at finding, linking, and using the knowledge that already exists, while developing the capacity and the local infrastructures necessary for long-term monitoring.”
The Bangladesh example
The researchers applied the model to Bangladesh, one of the most densely populated tropical countries in the world, illustrating both the challenges and opportunities that exist.
The analysis identified 111 relevant studies on the country’s butterflies, but only 34 had been published in international journals. Nearly two-thirds focused on species distribution, and only three specifically addressed conservation.
Social networks also revealed a potentially important source of biodiversity information. A prior investigation found Facebook records for 167 of the 169 threatened butterfly species in Bangladesh, showing how unconventional data sources can help fill gaps in countries where formal biodiversity databases are still limited.
The country also demonstrates the urgency of turning knowledge into concrete measures. Of the 226 butterfly species assessed in a previous study, only one was adequately represented by Bangladesh’s current protected-area system.
“Bangladesh shows that the lack of conventional data does not mean we have to accept a lack of conservation action,” argues Chowdhury.
Against “parachute science”
The researchers also advocate a shift in how international tropical research is conducted, moving away from the so-called “parachute science,” where researchers from other countries treat local scientists and communities mainly as data sources, rather than as equal partners.
The proposed model instead emphasizes locally led research, investment in regional collections and scientific infrastructures, strengthening taxonomic specialization, long-term monitoring, and more balanced international partnerships.
“If we want global biodiversity targets to have any meaning, tropical insects cannot continue to be a secondary concern,” says the researcher.
“The tropics host the majority of the world’s insect diversity. Protecting this extraordinary diversity is not only a matter of insect conservation—it is essential for ecosystems, food security, and human well-being.”
