INSECT CONSERVATION AND PEST-MANAGEMENT

The issue of insect conservation in pest management has many conflicti ng aspects. For instance, it is desirable to conserve a pest residue i n order to maintain natural enemy population and it is imperative to c onserve natural enemies. However, conservation of pest species is not relevant if the pest species is an exotic invader and a candidate for eradication, mainly because eradication, if successful, achieves only regional extinction. Conservation of native pests depends, to a large extent, on whether the species is a direct pest of a high value crop o r an indirect pest with an acceptable economic injury level. In this p aper, integrated pest management is defined in terms of sustainable ag riculture and the conservation of biodiversity, and give five premises that stress the level of disturbance of agricultural communities and the dynamics of pest status for arthropod species in the community. Th e possible impacts of the main integrated pest management tactics on a rthropod conservation are tabulated and the results reached stress tha t diversification of agricultural systems through maximum use of nativ e plants should benefit both integrated pest management and regional a rthropod conservation,