INSECT DECLINE and PESTICIDE CONTAMINATION in NATURE CONSERVATION AREAS in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate
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1 | Foreword Research report <<< INSECT DECLINE AND PESTICIDE CONTAMINATION IN NATURE CONSERVATION AREAS in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate Research report <<< INSECT DECLINE AND PESTICIDE CONTAMINATION IN NATURE CONSERVATION AREAS in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate COLOFON Munich, December 2020 Research report WECF e.V. Munich, Germany Authors: Jelmer Buijs, Buijs Agro-Services, Bennekom, Netherlands ([email protected]) Margriet Mantingh, WECF e.V., Germany ([email protected]) Reviewers of sections of this report: Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Weisser, Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Germany Dr. Francisco Sánchez-Bayo, Honorary Associate of The University of Sydney, Australia Verena Demmelbauer, WECF e.V., Germany Photographs: Natasha Nozdrina, Margriet Mantingh and Jelmer Buijs Design cover: Charlotte Aukema English language: Frans Verkleij This research was made possible by the generous financial support by the Deutsche Postcode Lotterie. Project FV 1610, timeframe 15 September 2019 – 30 December 2020. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of WECF e.V. and can under no circumstances be taken as reflecting the position of the Deutsche Postcode Lotterie. This publication has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union, as part of the project ‘Make Europe Sustainable For All’. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of WECF e.V. and can under no circumstances be taken as reflecting the position of the European Union. WECF e.V. Germany St. Jakobs-Platz 10 80331 Munich Germany Tel.: +49 89 23 23 938 0 www.wecf.org 4 | Content Content Foreword ....................................................................................................................................... 8 Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................... 9 Disclaimer ....................................................................................................................................... 9 Summary ..................................................................................................................................... 10 List of abbreviations and terms .............................................................................................. 13 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 17 2 Objectives of the research and period in which it was carried out ................... 20 3 Hypothesis of the research ............................................................................................... 21 4 Methodology .......................................................................................................................... 23 4.1 Selection of nature reserves and reference areas ......................................... 23 4.2 Selection of matrices to be sampled .................................................................. 25 4.3 Navigation ..................................................................................................................... 25 4.4 Sampling protocol...................................................................................................... 26 4.4.1 Soil ....................................................................................................................... 26 4.4.2 Vegetation......................................................................................................... 27 4.4.3 Animal excrements ........................................................................................ 27 4.5 Storage of samples ................................................................................................... 27 4.6 Preparation and analyses of samples by the laboratory ............................ 28 4.7 Botanic composition of vegetation ...................................................................... 29 4.8 Investigation of pesticide properties .................................................................. 29 4.9 Interpretation of insect biomass measurements ........................................... 30 4.10 Toxicological parameters used ............................................................................. 30 4.11 Statistical analyses ................................................................................................... 32 5 Results ..................................................................................................................................... 34 5.1 Characteristics of the 32 sampled locations ................................................... 34 5.1.1 Location in relation to agricultural fields ............................................... 34 5.1.2 Vegetation......................................................................................................... 35 5 | Content 5.1.3 Soil type ............................................................................................................. 36 5.1.4 Sampling dates ............................................................................................... 36 5.1.5 Weather during sampling ............................................................................ 37 5.1.6 Other human activities than agriculture in the neighbourhood ... 37 5.1.7 General observations during sampling .................................................. 37 5.2 Results of the pesticide analysis .......................................................................... 37 5.3 The share of compounds from non-agricultural origin............................... 46 5.4 Comparison of risks from pesticides from agricultural and non- agricultural origin ...................................................................................................... 47 5.5 Pesticide contamination and distance to agricultural fields ..................... 47 5.6 Status of the found pesticides .............................................................................. 48 5.7 Relation of pesticide contamination with measured biomasses ............. 50 5.8 Genotoxicity, carcinogenicity, LR50 and EQS of found pesticides............. 52 5.9 Mode of action ........................................................................................................... 59 5.10 Dose-time-effect relations .................................................................................... 60 6 Discussion.............................................................................................................................. 64 6.1 Judgement of hypothesis ....................................................................................... 64 6.2 Dose-time-effect relationships ............................................................................ 66 6.3 Relation of insect decline with measured pesticides in plants and soil 67 6.4 Role of compounds from non-agricultural origin ........................................... 70 6.5 Role of compounds that have not or seldom been found ........................... 70 6.6 Distance to arable farming fields .......................................................................... 71 6.7 Effects of found insecticides on the entomofauna ........................................ 72 6.8 Soil protection ............................................................................................................. 74 7 Conclusions ........................................................................................................................... 76 8 Advice ..................................................................................................................................... 79 8.1 For research ................................................................................................................. 79 8.2 For policy ...................................................................................................................... 80 8.3 For nature conservation organisations ...............................................................81 8.4 For agriculture ............................................................................................................. 82 References .................................................................................................................................... 84 6 | Content Appendix .................................................................................................................................... 88 Appendix 1. Analysis protocol of the laboratory ...................................................... 89 Appendix 2. Analysed compounds ............................................................................... 90 Appendix 3. Sampling protocol ..................................................................................... 102 Appendix 4. Pesticide properties .................................................................................. 104 Appendix 5. Original measurements of all matrices (in microgram per kilogram fresh sample and per kilogram dry matter) ............................... 124 Appendix 6. Presence and concentrations of pesticides in nature reserves with MF, buffer areas and reference areas in figures .................................. 159 Appendix 7. Discussion of all investigated locations ............................................ 167 Die Spey, Krefeld, NRW ...........................................................................................