“Synthesis: the mixing of different ideas, influences, or things to make a whole that is different, or new” (dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/synthesis). This is what Michael Samways set out to provide in this 500+ page volume. I guess this much space is required just to begin tackling a problem with millions of actors. Millions of actors that are now in the middle of an apocalyptic movie, one of those B‐rated ones, where there is a lot of gore and blood. Try writing the script of this movie. Your job is to describe the fate of all the actors, to which you must give a name, describe how they make a living, and how they are related to each other. Now, create some threat, maybe global warming, maybe wipe out of entire nations. Quantify how many were sacrificed, but do not forget about the survivors. Describe what strategies were used to save them. Try to give a happy ending, so that people leave the theater with some sense of hope. Five hundred pages do not seem that much anymore, do they? Maybe an encyclopedia would be enough?

Samways has been one of the strongest advocates for insect (and arthropod) conservation for many decades. Even before anyone cared for them, far from the current growing interest in the subject, he was already fighting for insects and other invertebrates. He was right there with Ed Wilson, Terry Erwin, Tim New, and the very few others who saw biodiversity for what it is, not for what it looks like. Why should the rest of us care about the “little things that run the world” (Wilson 1987)? This new book starts precisely there: tackling the perception problem. Describing the rise and fall of insects, their diversity, their roles in ecosystems, how important they are to us, and the scales at which we can move to take effective action. Particularly insightful is the philosophical aspect of insect conservation. If 99% of the species that ever lived are now extinct, why should we care about the current 1%? Will not new insect species, as for all taxa, just evolve and replace the disappearing ones? Samways argues that our sentience makes the difference. We know we are causing extinctions, and we know we can halt them. Insect conservation psychology (Simaika & Samways 2018) will play a major role in the future, and there is the need for advocates from all areas, from entomology to sociology, to pedagogy, to the arts.

Given the dimension of the task, landscape‐scale solutions become almost inevitable in insect conservation (Samways et al. 2020). Land sharing and land sparing, ecologically more benign agriculture, and similar solutions aim to reconcile species and ecosystem services with human activity outside (but also inside) protected areas. Despite the recent calls for 30% of global terrestrial areas to be protected by 2030 and 50% to be protected by 2050, conservation is increasingly seen as depending on the contribution of unprotected areas. Given the ubiquity and endemism levels of insects (many species are restricted to the most unsuspicious and disturbed areas, such as the Crau Plain grasshopper [Prionotropis rhodanica], which is restricted to grazed grasslands in southern France [Bröder et al. 2019]), any field, any city, any forest patch may contain the last remnants of a once‐thriving population or species. Islands, both oceanic and terrestrial, are prominently featured in the book, as are population and metapopulation dynamics that emerge in such settings. With increasingly fragmented landscapes resulting from human activities, species often must cross inhospitable areas to maintain natural flows of individuals between patches, and such dynamics often need a helping hand in the shape of ecological corridors.

Despite insect conservation usually requiring a focus on landscapes, species are obviously worthy of attention in themselves. And, this is where species traits enter the survival game. Habitat or climatic breadth, dispersal ability, and fecundity all influence the capacity of a species to survive under variable threatening processes. If a species does not possess the traits needed to adapt and occurs in the wrong place at the wrong time, its populations will decrease, may collapse, and at some point, be threatened or even go extinct. Such species should be identified, maybe through assessments under the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and could be the focus of specific measures that involve thinking at the landscape level again. This scale dynamics in insect conservation is considered throughout the book. Unfortunately, given the many gaps in knowledge of insect species (Cardoso et al. 2011), most will not be assessed in the near future, even though some efforts are underway (Hochkirch et al. 2020).

Conservation science is forced to perform prioritization and triage. Often, priority species are chosen based on perceptions of conservation professionals, whose preferences for the big, beautiful, or useful are no different form the public's (Sumner et al. 2018). And yet, besides threat levels, there are objective ways to prioritize. Evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered vertebrates have received special attention, attention that should also be paid to invertebrates, or in Samway's words, “conserving the curious” (p. 125). On the other side of the spectrum, rapidly evolving species and the potential for future evolutionary opportunities could also receive attention. From a functional perspective, conserving a full spectrum of ecosystem service providers should also be a priority; many species perform irreplaceable functions throughout their ranges. With such surrogacy strategies, we can only hope that many other, often undescribed, species will also be protected, even if it is a risky strategy and not a panacea.

After 5 chapters on general considerations, from landscape to species, the second major section of the book goes into particular habitats. Agricultural development, with its consequent habitat loss and transformation, is one of the main drivers of species declines and deserves special attention. The land‐sharing and land‐sparing concept is presented as one of the main solutions, as are agrienvironment schemes (as also discussed in Samways et al. 2020). Organic farming; maximization of pollination; nutrient recycling; pest control and other services; integrated pest management, including biological control; and even the controversial use of genetically modified organisms are all problems, because efforts must be made to better understand and apply them, and opportunities, because they can be fundamental for ecosystem and species resilience.

Natural habitats, including forests, grasslands, caves, and freshwater, deserve special attention. These are where most species persist; tropical forests, for example, are the most species‐rich ecosystems on Earth. Grasslands (including savannahs and mountain landscapes above the tree line), caves, and freshwater habitats are often island‐like in that they harbor numerous narrow‐range endemics and their importance surpasses their species richness. Threatened by agriculture, livestock husbandry, pollution, fire, extraction activities, invasive species, and so on, each of these habitat types face particular problems that require specific solutions, which Samways mentions and supplies examples of from different parts of the world. Urban habitats also deserve attention and often are the ideal setting for citizen science and increasing awareness of nature. Urban gardens, green roofs, and artificial lakes, all provide opportunities for information, education, and action right at our doorstep.

The third and final section of the book is very practical. It considers how to list and monitor species and communities, restore habitats, and minimize species and population losses. Surveying and monitoring are often mixed or confused, yet they are complementary. Compiling an inventory through surveys yields data on alpha diversity, that is, what is where at a given point in time and space. Monitoring, in contrast, provides data on beta diversity, that is, how populations or communities change in space and time. Neither undertaking is an easy task when dealing with megadiverse taxa. Recent discussions of the insect apocalypse have brought forward a number of phylogenetic, functional, habitat, spatial, and temporal biases in monitoring efforts worldwide. Projects are being developed, but a global standardization and optimization is needed if we are ever to know what is really happening to arthropods (Cardoso & Leather 2019). I hope a second edition of this book will refer to a future global monitoring protocol.

Among many examples of habitat restoration, Samways guides the reader through the restoration of Cousine Island in the Seychelles. Between 1960 and 2007, the island was restored to close to its pristine state. Two conditions allowed this to happen. First, it is an isolated and small area, thus easy to manipulate. Second, there were small populations of most native plants and insects still surviving in refuge areas. Restoration ecology is extremely complex in most situations, with human and other resources invariably coming up short. Yet, my own experience on the Desertas Islands (Madeira, Portugal) tells me that committed people on small islands can make a difference. Maybe it is time to collect examples that can not only provide guidance, but also give hope to the idea that large‐scale restoration with consequent recovery of countless species is possible.

This book is a thorough and necessarily incomplete synthesis of how to value and conserve insects in the Anthropocene. Many of the strategies mentioned have been attempted with success in different parts of the world, and we know enough to act immediately (Harvey et al. 2020; Samways et al. 2020). We now need to expand these local strategies. Two features make this book particularly easy to follow. First, the wealth of illustrations with extensive legends that allow the reader to follow all the arguments made in the main text. These help frame full concepts within a limited space. Second, these illustrations are complemented by a list of key points at the end of each chapter, which reiterates the arguments in bulleted points or take‐away messages. The book will be of value in classroom instruction and to practitioners worldwide and serves as a guide for further developments in the area.

A final word, as a spider expert myself, although insects are now receiving global attention, many of the threats and solutions to these threats apply to other arthropods (arachnids, myriapods, crustaceans, etc.) and even to other invertebrates (molluscs, annelids, etc.). Maybe the insights from work with these groups can also help insect conservation. I hope for a second edition that widens the book's scope at least to arthropod conservation.

“综合：将不同的思想，影响或事物混合在一起，形成一个不同的或新的整体”（dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/synthesis）。这就是Michael Samways打算在这500多个页面中提供的内容。我想只有这么多的空间才可以解决数百万演员的问题。如今，成千上万的演员正在上一部世界末日的电影，是那些获得B级评价的电影之一，那里充满了血腥和血腥。尝试编写这部电影的脚本。您的工作是描述所有演员的命运，您必须给这些演员起个名字，描述他们如何谋生，以及他们如何相互联系。现在，制造一些威胁，也许是全球变暖，或者消灭整个国家。量化牺牲多少，但不要忘记幸存者。描述用来保存它们的策略。尝试给人以圆满的结局，使人们带着希望的心情离开剧院。五百页看起来不再那么多了，对吗？也许百科全书就足够了吗？

数十年来，Samway一直是昆虫（和节肢动物）保护的最强有力的倡导者之一。甚至在没有任何人关心他们之前，他就已经在为昆虫和其他无脊椎动物而战，而这与当前对该主题的兴趣远非如此。他和埃德·威尔逊（Ed Wilson），特里·欧文（Terry Erwin），蒂姆·纽（Tim New）以及其他很少看到生物多样性的人在一起，而不是因为它的外表。为什么我们其他人应该关心“统治世界的小事”（Wilson 1987，）？这本新书正是从这里开始的：解决感知问题。描述昆虫的兴衰，它们的多样性，它们在生态系统中的作用，它们对我们的重要性以及采取有效行动的规模。昆虫保护的哲学方面尤其有见地。如果现在有99％的物种已经灭绝，为什么我们要关心目前的1％？像所有分类单元一样，新的昆虫物种难道不会进化并取代消失的物种吗？萨姆韦斯（Samways）认为，我们的见识与众不同。我们知道我们正在造成灭绝，我们知道我们可以阻止灭绝。昆虫保护心理学（Simaika＆Samways 2018）将在未来发挥重要作用，从昆虫学到社会学，教育学到艺术，各个领域的倡导者都需要。

鉴于任务的规模，景观尺度的解决方案在昆虫保护中几乎是不可避免的（Samways等，2020）。土地共享和节约土地，生态上更加良性的农业以及类似的解决方案旨在使物种和生态系统服务与保护区内外（以及内部）的人类活动相协调。尽管最近呼吁到2030年保护30％的全球陆地区域，到2050年保护50％的陆地，但是越来越多的人将保护视作未保护区域的贡献。考虑到昆虫的普遍性和地方性水平（许多物种仅限于最不令人怀疑和受干扰的区域，例如克劳平原蝗虫[ Prionotropis rhodanica]，仅限于法国南部的放牧草地[Bröder等。2019 ]），任何领域，任何城市，任何森林地带都可能包含曾经繁荣的种群或物种的最后残余物。该书着重介绍了海洋和陆地上的岛屿，以及在这种环境下出现的人口和迁徙动态。由于人类活动造成的景观越来越零散，物种通常必须穿越荒凉的地区，以维持个体在斑块之间的自然流动，而这种动态变化通常需要生态走廊的帮助。

尽管昆虫保护通常需要关注景观，但物种本身显然也值得关注。而且，这就是物种特征进入生存游戏的地方。生境或气候的广度，扩散能力和繁殖力都会影响物种在各种威胁过程中生存的能力。如果一个物种不具备适应所需要的特征，并在错误的时间出现在错误的地方，其种群将会减少，可能崩溃，甚至在某个时刻受到威胁甚至灭绝。应该通过国际自然保护联盟的评估来确定此类物种，并应将其作为涉及再次在景观层面进行思考的具体措施的重点。全书都考虑了这种昆虫保护的规模动态。不幸，2011年），尽管正在进行一些努力（Hochkirch等，2020年），但大多数都不会在不久的将来得到评估。

保护科学被迫进行优先排序。通常，优先物种是根据保护专业人员的看法来选择的，他们对大型，美丽或有用的偏好与公众的偏好没有什么不同（Sumner等人2018）。）。但是，除了威胁级别以外，还有一些客观的方法可以确定优先级。进化上独特且全球濒临灭绝的脊椎动物受到了特别的关注，对无脊椎动物的关注也应引起重视，或者用Samway的话说，“保育好奇心”（第125页）。另一方面，迅速发展的物种以及未来进化机会的潜力也可能受到关注。从功能角度看，保护所有生态系统服务提供者也应是优先事项；许多物种在其整个范围内都具有不可替代的功能。有了这样的代孕策略，我们只能希望，即使不是危险的灵丹妙药，也可以保护许多其他通常未被描述的物种。

在从景观到物种的5章有关一般性考虑的章节之后，本书的第二个主要部分针对特定的栖息地。农业发展及其造成的栖息地丧失和转化，是造成物种减少的主要驱动力之一，值得特别注意。共享土地和节约土地的概念以及农业环境方案被视为主要解决方案之一（同样在Samways等人2020年中进行了讨论））。有机耕作; 授粉最大化 营养循环利用；虫害防治和其他服务；有害生物综合治理，包括生物防治；甚至有争议的转基因生物的使用都是问题，因为必须努力更好地理解和应用它们，并提供机会，因为它们对于生态系统和物种的复原力至关重要。

自然栖息地，包括森林，草原，洞穴和淡水，应特别注意。这些是大多数物种持续存在的地方。例如，热带森林是地球上物种最多的生态系统。草原（包括林木上方的大草原和山地景观），洞穴和淡水生境通常像岛屿，因为它们拥有众多窄范围的特有物种，其重要性超过了物种丰富度。受农业，畜牧业，污染，火灾，采伐活动，入侵物种等的威胁，这些栖息地类型中的每一种都面临着需要采取特定解决方案的特殊问题，Samway提到并提供了来自世界各地的实例。城市栖息地也值得关注，并且通常是公民科学和提高对自然意识的理想场所。城市花园，绿色屋顶和人工湖，都在我们家门口提供了信息，教育和行动的机会。

本书的第三部分也是最后一部分非常实用。它考虑了如何列出和监视物种和群落，恢复栖息地以及最大程度地减少物种和种群损失。测量和监视通常是混合或混乱的，但它们是互补的。通过调查编制清单可得出有关Alpha多样性的数据，即在给定的时间和空间位置。相比之下，监测则提供了有关β多样性的数据，即人口或社区如何在空间和时间上变化。处理大型生物群时，这两项任务都不是一件容易的事。最近关于昆虫启示的讨论提出了在全世界监测工作中的系统发育，功能，生境，空间和时间上的偏差。正在开发项目，2019）。我希望本书的第二版将参考将来的全局监视协议。

在栖息地恢复的许多例子中，Samways引导读者完成塞舌尔库西恩岛的恢复。从1960年到2007年，该岛恢复到接近原始状态。有两个条件允许这种情况发生。首先，它是一个孤立的小区域，因此易于操作。第二，在避难所中仍存有少量的大多数本土植物和昆虫。在大多数情况下，恢复生态极为复杂，人力和其他资源总是短缺。然而，我在沙漠之岛（葡萄牙马德拉岛）上的经历告诉我，在小岛上执着的人们可以有所作为。也许现在该收集一些示例，这些示例不仅可以提供指导，

这本书是关于如何评估和保育人类世代昆虫的详尽而必然是不完整的综述。提到的许多策略已在世界各地尝试成功，而且我们知道足以立即采取行动（Harvey等，2020； Samways等，2020）。）。我们现在需要扩展这些本地策略。有两个功能使本书特别容易阅读。首先，插图丰富，并带有丰富的图例，使读者可以阅读正文中提出的所有论据。这些帮助在有限的空间内构筑完整的概念。其次，这些插图在每章末尾都附有要点列表，这些要点在项目符号或要点信息中重申了论点。这本书对于课堂教学和全世界的从业者都是有价值的，并可以作为该领域进一步发展的指南。

最后一点，作为蜘蛛专家本人，尽管昆虫现在受到了全球的关注，但是许多威胁和对这些威胁的解决方案也适用于其他节肢动物（蜘蛛，无足动物，甲壳纲等），甚至适用于其他无脊椎动物（软体动物，无节肢动物）等）。与这些小组合作得出的见解也许也可以帮助保护昆虫。我希望第二版至少可以将本书的范围扩大到节肢动物保护方面。