Scientists are urging the development of a new global strategy to address the large gaps in conserving tropical insects, which account for more than 80% of the world's insect species. A team from Monash University has proposed a comprehensive framework that integrates scientific research, museum collections, local knowledge, citizen science, social media, and new technologies to better understand and protect these essential creatures. The study, published in the journal BioScience, underscores the critical role insects play in ecosystems, agriculture, and food production. However, it notes that conservation efforts often neglect tropical regions, where the majority of insect species reside. The research team identified four key challenges in insect conservation: limited visibility of existing studies, significant data gaps, insufficient scientific infrastructure, and a lack of conservation action. To overcome these, the framework suggests using a wider range of information sources, such as regional and non-English publications, local knowledge, citizen science, social media observations, and new technologies. The researchers stress the importance of building local scientific capacity and ensuring that this valuable information reaches policymakers who can implement effective conservation strategies. As a practical example, the study focused on Bangladesh, a densely populated tropical country facing major challenges in insect conservation but also offering opportunities for improvement. The team found 111 studies on butterflies in Bangladesh, but only 34 were published internationally. Nearly two-thirds of the studies focused on where different butterfly species were found, while just three addressed their conservation. Surprisingly, social media—particularly Facebook—proved to be a rich source of biodiversity data, with records for 167 out of 169 threatened butterfly species. The researchers argue that international conservation efforts should move away from "parachute science," a model where scientists from wealthier nations treat local communities in tropical countries mainly as data sources rather than equal partners. The proposed framework instead promotes locally led research, increased investment in regional scientific infrastructure, stronger expertise in identifying and classifying species, long-term monitoring, fairer international collaborations, and closer ties between scientists and policymakers. The study, titled "A framework for the strategic conservation of tropical insects," was conducted by an international team of researchers from Australia, Bangladesh, Uganda, Hong Kong, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Italy, and India.