International Branch Virtual Symposium Submission Descriptions

Entomologists at the forefront of integrative systems thinking
Over the past decades, insect biodiversity has undergone a precipitous decline in many parts of the developed and developing world. This trend has been especially pronounced on farmland – where habitat loss, agricultural intensification and agrochemical pollution are prominent drivers – and has transpired in a progressive decay of vital ecosystem services. To resolve the (insect) biodiversity crisis and trace more sustainable trajectories for global agriculture, scientists have repeatedly called for holistic ‘systems approaches’, a close integration of (natural, social) science disciplines and added attention to ecosystem services.
Ever more often, scientists are being urged to consider the farming system as a ‘whole’ instead of as the sum of its parts, and to devise more sustainable agricultural practices by reaching across disciplinary divides. In the entomological domain, this need is particularly pressing as silo attitudes are rife and inter- or transdisciplinary collaboration remains rare. For instance, though an increased uptake of non-chemical crop protection offers tangible benefits for soil health, animal pollination, biodiversity conservation and vegetation restoration, entomologists that operate within those domains seldom collaborate with crop protection scientists. Reductionistic approaches often prevail and simple, add-on recipes are preferred over integrative measures. Similarly, preventative, non-chemical measures make up the foundation of integrated pest management (IPM) – yet, actual uptake of such measures is hampered by insufficient attention to social-economic parameters, a disregard of farmer perceptions or improper integration with agronomic facets of real-world production systems e.g., crop breeding, irrigation or soil science.
Yet, in recent years, this call for system-centric approaches is finally being heeded. In emerging fields such as agroecology, ecological intensification or regenerative agriculture, scientists consciously reach out beyond their own disciplinary boundaries, consider a broader suite of (social, ecological; above- and below-ground) system strata and make smart use of the myriad natural functionalities that exist within farmland ecosystems. Agronomists, pollination ecologists, breeders, economists, plant pathologists and entomologists now join hands in pursuit of grander goals. One wonders: may disciplinary ‘silos’ across the broad entomological spectrum at last disintegrate? Might a dissolution of those boundaries help to bolster the resilience of farmland in the face of intensifying and intertwined stressors? Could entomologists perhaps become frontrunners in the drive towards ‘transformative’ change of agri-food production systems?
In this Specialized Session of the ESA International Branch (IB), we will have a panel of 4 plenary speakers who have successfully transcended disciplinary boundaries and viewed agricultural sustainability issues through a ‘systems’ lens. Together with the (online) audience, we will explore ways to mobilize e.g., soil health, biological control and pollinator conservation strategies in an integrative manner and to tactically deploy those at field, farm and agro-landscape scales. We hope that this ESA-IB Specialized Session will drive a new wave of more holistic entomology science and ultimately result in a global advancement of more resilient, resource-frugal and pest-suppressive farming systems.

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10-minute oral presentations and posters presenting work on any insects and their relatives, not included in the other sessions, are welcome in these general sessions.

Click here to submit a paper or poster