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6 ETS Field Days

linators, such as bees (Apoidea) and butterflies, Many have asked why we should worry about
and introducing plants that encourage and at- insects that most people fear, find disgusting, or
tract natural wildlife. It also proposes to evaluate even hate. Insects are the largest and most diverse
the status of biodiversity at Montecchia using the group of organisms on Earth and their presence
“Syrph the Net” method and to create an educa- is essential to our ecosystem. About 950,000-
tional platform by positioning natural artifacts at 1,000,000 species of insects have been de-
specific points in the golf course to draw golfers’ scribed, but it has been hypothesized that there
attention to nature. are actually between 8 and 15 times that many.
Not all insects are seen in a negative light; but-
terflies, for example, are often strikingly beautiful
Nature Conservation and have a positive image in most people’s minds.
at Golf della Montecchia Bees too are seen as beneficial, useful “bugs” both
because they were already producing honey in
Basing their assertions on findings published in prehistoric times and because they are considered
the literature, some researchers and scientists the world’s most important species of pollinators.
have hypothesized that over the next few decades Other insects have also played important roles in
40% of insect species will become extinct and that humanity’s history. Although grasshoppers are
there will be a 75% reduction in their biomass. This thought of as frightening swarms destroying ev-
apocalyptic prediction has attracted the attention erything in sight, the food of holy men in biblical
of international media. Although the theory may times, or a dish commonly eaten even today in
be erroneous, it has evidently touched the soul of Saudia Arabia, there are also the cochineal, a
the ordinary man and in particular of individuals parasitic scale insect used to make carmine, and
who have little contact with nature. It has recently the domesticated silkworm or Bombyx mori.
been demonstrated, in fact, that more than 50% First recorded in France in 1854, Pèbrine disease,
of the world’s population lives in cities, and the a protozoan disease of the silkworm, caused the
percentage is even higher in rich industrialized collapse of the French and Italian silkworm in-
countries. At the same time, there appears to be dustry in 1865. According to some studies, while
only a limited awareness of these issues even on neonicotinoid pesticies do not obliterate bee colo-
the part of those who are in contact with nature, nies outright, they kill them over extended periods
largely because of the culture of intensive agricul- of time. Although the correlation between these
ture or because of low levels of education. events and the diminuition of certain species can-

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