DAY OF INSECTS 2026: From Crisis -> to Connection
The ecological crisis continues to worsen: record heat, species extinction and disappearing habitats. But in this crisis lies an opportunity for a fundamental change towards a genuine coexistence of people and biodiversity. Without insects, humanity could only survive for a few months. Together we will rethink and actively shape the future of insects.
April 23, 2026 in Leuven, Belgium!
We have been organizing THE insect event in German-speaking countries every year since 2017 and are the lobby for insects. Our format grew every year and together with renowned speakers such as Dr. Eckart von Hirschhausen, Prof. Dr. Maja Göpel, Prof. Dr. Josef Settele and others, we offered insects a big stage. We want to give insects this strong voice in Europe too. This is precisely why we are organizing the first international Day of Insects in Belgium next spring together with our partner Leuven Nature and Biodiversity Council.
-> Register now! Tickets cost between €65 and €150 and include lunch. It is worth registering as soon as possible, places are limited. The event will be held in English & Dutch (AI-supported translation into Dutch or English will be provided for the plenary sessions).
REGISTER NOW
08:00 – 9:30 Doors open – Coffee, tea, and breakfast pastries
09:30 – 9:45 Welcome – Tina Teucher, Dr. Hans-Dietrich Reckhaus & Wim Timmerman
09:45 – 9:50 Opening words – Prof. Dr. Severine Vermeire (rector KU Leuven)
09:55 – 10:15 Insect declines and their solutions: a global perspective – Prof. Dr. Dave Goulson
10:20 – 10:40 Problems and opportunities for the little things that run the world, a view from a highly urbanized country – Prof. Dr. Hans Van Dyck
10:45 – 11:05 Planetary overuse: What’s the good news? – Prof. Dr. Mathis Wackernagel
11:05 – 11:35 Coffee Break & Networking Tables
11:35 – 11:55 How change begins: Why everyone matters – Prof. Dr. Harald Welzer
12:00 – 12:10 R.O.T. (Audiovisual intermezzo) – Stephanie Plas
12:10 – 13:00 Panel Discussion – From Crisis to Connection: Relearn our relationship with insects Moderation by Dr. Hans-Dietrich Reckhaus with Prof. Dr. Dave Goulson, Prof. Dr. Hans Van Dyck, Prof. Dr. Harald Welzer and Prof. Dr. Mathis Wackernagel
13:00 – 13:10 Introduction of workshop topics
13:10 – 14:10 Lunch Break & Networking Tables
14:10 – 15:50 9 parallel workshops (8-NL & 1-EN) – each participant can select one workshop
15:50 – 16:20 Coffee Break & Networking Tables
16:25 – 16:40 Instructions for unusual action – Frank & Patrik Riklin
16:45 – 17:00 From insecticide manufacturer to insect protector – Dr. Hans-Dietrich Reckhaus
17:05 – 17:15 Sustainability needs moonshot projects – Peter Verbiest
17:20 – 18:05 Closing Panel – Day of Insects: Shaping the Future of Nature Conservation in Flanders and beyond – Moderated by Dr. Tom Pinceel
with Dr. Hilde Eggermont, Ignace Schops, Dr. Steven Vanonckelen and Valerie Del Re
18:00 – 18:15 Closing remarks – Thomas Van Oppens
18:15 – 19:15 Networking Reception
Art x Day of Insects
Without the power of art, there would be no INSECT-RESPECT – and no 8th Day of Insects. The idea for INSECT-RESPECT arose from the art intervention Saving Flies in Deppendorf in 2012.
The art poster for the Day of Insects is designed by Hans Op de Beeck. He is a contemporary artist who works with a variety of media, including immersive installations, sculpture, video, drawing, photography and watercolor. He is particularly known for his monumental and atmospheric installations. His works deal with the relationship between man and the environment and pose fundamental questions about the meaning of life. Op de Beeck has exhibited internationally at major institutions and events, including the Tate Modern, the Centre Pompidou and the Venice Biennale.
Evening program 22.04.2026
On the evening before the conference, we will host the Belgian premiere of the documentary film The Entrepreneur, the Village and the Artists, followed by a panel discussion on the topic of social change with Prof. Dr. Harald Welzer, Tine Hens, and Frank and Patrik Riklin. The film shows the art intervention “Saving Flies in Deppendorf”, from which INSECT-RESPECT emerged.
18:00 – 19:30 at STUK Art Center Leuven
SPEAKER:INSIDE THE DAY OF INSECTS 2026
PROF. DR. DAVE GOULSON
PROF. DR. DAVE GOULSON
British biologist, bestselling author and world-leading expert on bumblebees and insect conservation
Dr. Hilde Eggermont
Dr. Hilde Eggermont
Director-general (since 2023) of the Institute of Nature and Forest Research (INBO)
PROF. DR. HARALD WELZER
PROF. DR. HARALD WELZER
German social psychologist and bestselling author, known for his work on sustainability, climate change and social transformation
DR. MATHIS WACKERNAGEL
DR. MATHIS WACKERNAGELER
Swiss sustainability researcher who developed the concept of the ecological footprint to measure human environmental impact
FRANK & PATRIK RIKLIN
FRANK & PATRIK RIKLIN
Swiss conceptual artists and creative entrepreneurs known for their experimental projects that challenge conventional thinking and promote social, ecological and cultural transformation.
Dirk Holemans
Dirk Holemans
Coordinator and Editor-in-Chief of the Oikos Think Tank and Co-President of the Green European Foundation.
Prof. Dr. Hans Van Dyck
Prof. Dr. Hans Van Dyck
Behavioral ecologist at UCLouvain, specialized in biodiversity and population dynamics.
and many more ...
and many more ...
PAST CONFERENCES
Social design as a driver
Browse through our extensive text, image and video material from past Insect Day events.
Focus on unsealing & promotion of biodiversity
The 7th Day of Insects took place on April 3, 2025 at the Umweltforum in Berlin. Under the motto “From Asphalt to Life”, around 200 participants came together to tackle the unsealing of surfaces and the renaturation of soils.
Missed the Insect Day? In our conference documentation is a summary of all presentations and on our YouTube channel are the following presentations:
- Human, Earth. We could it so beautiful have – Dr. Eckart from Hirschhausen
- Status of insect loss internationally – Prof. Dr. Josef Settele
- Instructions to the unusual acting – Frank & Patrik Riklin
- Building a community for sustainable trade- Remco Moen Marcar
- So succeeds the transformation – Dr. Hans-Dietrich Reckhaus
Focus on culture
Day of Insects 2023, 30.03.2023 in Berlin. The sixth Day of Insects was a rousing, incisive and far-reaching experience for all of us. The encounters and discussions were carried by an emphatic, motivating and respectful spirit that allowed us to immerse ourselves deeply in the culture between humans and insects. We felt and understood that we can achieve great things together. We were joined by exciting, radical and passionate initiators, among others:
- Prof. Dr. Maja Göpel
- Prof. Dr. Harald Welzer
INSECT-RESPECT & BirdLife Switzerland
With an urgent appeal to adults, four young people from Wohlen AG demonstrated their commitment against insect extinction at the 2nd Swiss Insect Day. The multimedia conference documentation with 22 videos, 13 presentations and 22 texts by national and international speakers from research, politics, business and nature conservation can be found here. Over 300 people took part in the event organized by BirdLife Switzerland and INSECT RESPECT®.
Business focus: What can companies do to combat insect extinction
?
What are we doing to protect insects? The Museum für Naturkunde Berlin and INSECT-RESPECT have joined forces to answer this question. All visitors to the research museum were invited to immerse themselves in the world of insects, and participants in the conference were also given plenty of inspiration on the topics of insect conservation and insect extinction. For example, the General Director of the museum, Prof. Johannes Vogel, admitted that the image of 5 to 12 for the protection of biodiversity is already a whitewash of the situation. Researchers and young entrepreneurs presented their results and projects and motivated the participants to network and stand up for insects. Supporters of the event included the REWE Group, the hk group, AIM, Europarc Deutschland and HektarNektar.
The multimedia conference documentation summarizes the conference in pictures, quotes and short articles. The lecture videos and presentation slides are also linked there.
1st Day of Insects in Switzerland
In cooperation with namu e.V. and the Global Nature Fund
In action forums, a panel discussion and networking breaks, representatives from science, business, civil society and the media exchanged views on insects and insect conservation. Short presentations by experts inspired the participants to come up with new ideas and possible solutions. The multimedia conference documentation contains short summaries and impressions as well as links to the event videos.
1st day of the insects
To highlight the benefits of the six-legged friends and the ambivalent
relationship between humans and insects,
the Bielefeld Natural History Museum and INSECT-RESPECT entered into a cooperation in 2016. It includes joint environmental education, media reports and events. A monthly series on insects is published in the regional “Westfalenblatt” newspaper
with articles by Insect
Respect and namu.
The collaboration culminates in a
joint event: the “Day of Insects” on
30.3.2017 in Bielefeld. This provided a platform for the various
stakeholders on the topic of “Promoting insects”,
to present their projects and network to strengthen their
research and public relations work
SOME SPEAKERS FROM PAST CONFERENCES
DR. ECKART VON HIRSCHHAUSEN
DR. ECKART VON HIRSCHHAUSEN
Doctor, science journalist, founder of the Healthy Earth – Healthy People Foundation
PROF. DR. JOSEF SETTELE
PROF. DR. JOSEF SETTELE
Head of the Department of Nature Conservation at the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research, expert in the World Biodiversity Council, member of the Scientific Advisory Board for Natural Climate Protection
PROF. DR. DAGMAR HAASE
PROF. DR. DAGMAR HAASE
Professor of Urban Ecology at the Institute of Geography at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and visiting scientist at the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research
PROF. DR. MAJA GÖPEL
PROF. DR. MAJA GÖPEL
German political economist, transformation researcher and bestselling author, known for her work on sustainability, systemic change and sustainable policy-making.
PROF. DR. MAZDA ADLI
Prof. Dr. Mazda Adli
Chief Physician Fliedner Clinic Berlin, Head of Research Department Affective Disorders Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Dr. Josef Tumbrinck
Dr. Josef Tumbrinck
Focus on environmental policy & grasshopper research, Head of the Nature Conservation Department at the NRW Ministry of the Environment
DR. MELANIE VON ORLOW
DR. MELANIE VON ORLOW
Managing Director NABU Berlin, Project Manager Berlin Hymenoptera Service, Spokesperson NABU Federal Hymenoptera Group
REMCO MOEN MARCAR
REMCO MOEN MARCAR
Head of concept agency Frank Lee, founder of the “Tegelwippen” movement in the Netherlands