Sorbonne Université, UPEC, CNRS, IRD, INRA, Institut d'écologie et des sciences de l'environnement, IESS, FEST, F-75005 Paris, France.
Unité de Formation et de Recherche en Sciences et Techniques, Laboratoire d'Etude et de Recherche en Fertilité de sols, Institut du Développement Rural, Université Nazi Boni, 01 BP 1091 Bobo, Burkina Faso.
Curr Opin Insect Sci. 2020 Aug;40:71-76. doi: 10.1016/j.cois.2020.05.010. Epub 2020 Jun 4.
Termites are amongst the main macroinvertebrate decomposers in tropical ecosystems and they exert additional impacts through the creation of biostructures (mounds, galleries, sheetings, etc.) with different soil physical and chemical properties, thereby impacting positively on numerous ecosystem services for humankind. Unfortunately, this positive or 'bright' role of termites is often overshadowed by their 'dark' side, that is, their status as pests threatening agriculture and constructions. This article assesses advances in our knowledge of the impact of termites on several sustainable development goals (SDGs 1 'no poverty', 2 'zero hunger', 3 'good health', 9 'innovation', 11 'sustainable cities', 13 'climate action' and 15 'life on land'). Finally, using the Indian myth of Valmiki as a parable, we illustrate that a reconciliation between the termite's dark and bright sides is needed if we want to reduce our dramatic impact on biodiversity and more generally achieve SDGs.
白蚁是热带生态系统中主要的大型无脊椎分解者之一，它们通过创造具有不同土壤物理和化学特性的生物结构（土丘、地道、片状物等）来发挥额外的影响，从而对人类的众多生态系统服务产生积极影响。不幸的是，白蚁的这种积极的或“光明”的角色往往被其“黑暗”的一面所掩盖，即它们作为威胁农业和建筑的害虫的地位。本文评估了我们对白蚁对几个可持续发展目标（SDG1“消除贫困”、SDG2“零饥饿”、SDG3“良好健康”、SDG9“创新”、SDG11“可持续城市”、SDG13“气候行动”和 SDG15“陆地生物”）的影响的认识的进展。最后，我们使用印度的瓦尔米基神话作为一个比喻，来说明如果我们要减少对生物多样性的巨大影响，更普遍地实现可持续发展目标，就需要调和白蚁的明暗两面。
