Insect conservation in savannas

Savannas cover almost a third of terrestrial Earth, but their exceptional biodiversity values are often underappreciated. Large tracts of temperate savanna have disappeared, while tropical savanna has been earmarked for agriculture. Contemporary threats include agriculture, altered disturbance regimes, resource extraction, inappropriate fire regimes, and global climate change. Less attention has been paid to the biodiversity consequences of woody plant encroachment, and this is a particular focus of our chapter. We explore the impacts of these processes on insect diversity and present case studies for three ecologically dominant taxa: ants, spiders, and beetles. We describe highly diverse and unique sets of assemblages associated with savannas that contrast with the relatively depauperate and generalist taxa in encroaching thickets. Savannas must be managed as ancient, highly biodiverse ecosystems, not as degraded forests that must be restored. Restoration of savannas would involve reintroducing disturbance regimes that create variability in tree densities. This would require local-scale management and regional conservation efforts, including large and strictly conserved core areas surrounded by buffers while retaining functional connectivity.