Beetle Conservation Threats to the Survival of Beetles
The Death of Beetles
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Insects have been viewed traditionally with disgust, so therefore it is not uncommon to see the intentional killing of beetles whenever they are encountered by humans. Tourists and mountain residents often kill the beetles that appear under their lamps at night. Equally common is the unintentional killing of beetles. Since most stag beetles are attracted to street lamps at night, thousands are killed each night as vehicles run over those that land on the road. However, like collecting, this is usually a minor problem compared to the threat of habitat destruction.
The Development of Mountains and Clearing of Forests
Like
most animals living in the forest, beetles have a hard time adapting to
human-disturbed habitats. All stag beetles require rotting wood for food
and cannot be found anywhere outside of forests. As human populations increase
and the demand for wood and land for agricultural use increases, more and
more forests are being leveled worldwide. Everywhere, this leads to the
extinction of the beetle populations that are dependent on forest cover.
While reforestation may seem like a plausible solution, the trees used
for this purpose are usually selected for their commercial and not ecological
value; therefore reforested areas may seem like ideal habitat for beetles
but in fact contain very few species.
Over-collecting and Protected Species
As
more people become interested in beetles, they remove more beetles from
the wild. Even though the supply of beetles seem inexhaustible, combined
with the other factors mentioned above, over-collecting can be a serious
problem. Collectors should be responsible in their collecting. A general
rule of thumb is to collect only a male and a female of each species (with
some exceptions). Some governments grant specific species of beetles special
protection for various reasons. The beetle may already be on the edge of
extinction, its survival is severely threatened in some way, or there might
be a potential for someone to collect an attractive species in large quantity
for business purposes. Therefore, collecting protected species should be
avoided whenever possible. Not only because it is breaking the law, but
because the beetles are being protected for their own good.
Beetles protected in Taiwan
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