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On 4 July 2025, the Insects in Crisis symposium was held in Canberra, organised by the Environment Institute of ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ and New Zealand (EIANZ). The event brought together environmental practitioners, regulators, and researchers to address the alarming decline of insect biodiversity in ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ and worldwide.

With recent the urgency of this issue, one to three insect species estimated to go extinct in ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ every week. Pollution, climate change, and habitat loss are driving these declines, with severe consequences for ecosystems and agriculture.

The symposium explored these challenges through four themes: Climate Change, Ecology, Impact Assessment and Environmental Data, and Heritage & Land.

Representing The ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ of Adelaide’s Environment Institute, Professor Andy Austin presented on ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥â€™s insect taxonomy. His talk outlined historical challenges in documenting insect diversity and the Decadal Plan for Taxonomy and Biosystematics, which aims to document the continent’s insect fauna within a generation.

Each session concluded with a panel discussion, contributing to a forthcoming EIANZ position paper to be submitted to the Minister.

Professor Austin is a leading member of the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥n Centre for Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity (ACEBB) at the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ of Adelaide. His research focuses on parasitic wasps, host-parasitoid interactions, and the biodiversity of groundwater arthropods. He serves as Editor-in-Chief of Invertebrate Systematics and sits on editorial boards for several major entomological journals.

The Environment Institute is proud to have supported Professor Austin’s participation in this important event, advancing critical discussions on the future of insect biodiversity in ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥.