The number of insects in the forests of Europe has decreased by 60%.

An international team of ecologists has tracked changes in the abundance of more than 1,800 species of insects that live in the forests of Europe, and found that populations have decreased over the past 10 years. The number of insects has fallen most strongly in forests, where there are many coniferous trees, including various types of pine and spruce. Scientists cannot yet pinpoint the cause of the sharp decline in the number of forest insects, but they suggest that one of the main factors is human activity.