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Accelerated by global warming, retreating glaciers leave behind spatially ordered moraines with underlying primary succession and disturbance. Current knowledge of primary succession comes mainly from studies of vegetation dynamics. Information about aboveground macroinvertebrates is still scarce. We used carabid beetles (Coleoptera; Carabidae) as indicator taxon to assess the effects of (1) terrain age (species turnover along the proglacial chronosequence) and (2) small-scale habitat architecture (vegetation cover, surface texture) on the carabid assembly. For this purpose, 33 sampling sites with pitfall traps were installed throughout the glacier foreland Morteratsch (Engadine, Switzerland), adjacent sparse forests serving as reference sites. With a total of 33 carabid species on the foreland and another 2 on the reference sites, the study area yielded a very high carabid species diversity compared to other glacier forelands. In general, the age of deglaciation proved to be a highly significant predictor for the carabid distribution, especially for particularly discriminant species. Observed species richness and activity densities showed bimodal patterns with a steep increase within the first ca. 40 years, a decline between around 40-90 years, and a further increase towards the terminal moraine. There was no evidence of dispersal-stochasticity: distinct clusters of sites with similar species composition were found. Microhabitat suitability proved to be a secondary effect, embedded in a temporal framework of primary succession. Surface cover with litter, herbs and dwarf-shrubs turned out to be the crucial habitat factors.Habitat loss as a result of climate warming will primarily affect cold-stenotopic carabids, but may potentially be absorbed by active selection for cooler microhabitats.

The management of Swiss Beverin Nature Park in the Canton of Grisons is interested in establishing insects as flagship species to promote the Schams Mountain (Schamserberg) ecosystem and wants to base the decision-making process on quantitative research. A survey on attitudes towards insects was designed and then completed by 331 local pupils, aged 8 to 16. The standardized questionnaire presented 11 adult butterflies / moths, 4 caterpillars and 7 other insects individually in colour photographs and asked how pretty, interesting, disgusting or fear-inducing the species were. Additionally, the underlying reasons for the reaction in terms of an animal's colour, pattern, body feature or movement and sound were sought. The results add details to existing research and can serve as helpful information for both the creation of environmental education programmes and the selection of resident insects as flagship species. The expected positive perception of butterflies / moths was confirmed, while other insects were perceived as interesting and, if colourful, even pretty. In general, children noticed colour details. For levels of disgust, body features were important, while colour and pattern were largely irrelevant. As attitudes differed and tended to become more negative with higher-age participants, it is recommended that environmental education starts early and is target-group specific. Most of the insect species studied might serve as appropriate flagship species, based on their prettiness or the interest they attract. The final choice should also reflect the accessibility of their actual habitat. As a next step, Beverin Nature Park is advised to conduct further focused research on the specific distribution of the potential flagship insects within the park. On this basis, appropriate nature trails could be established with emphasis on environmental education.

Flagship species play an important role in promoting nature conservation. However, although the significance of invertebrates in biodiversity and ecosystem services is undisputed, they are rarely used as flagship species. A focused approach to better understand the drivers of differences in attitudes toward invertebrates, and insects in particular, would be helpful for selecting and establishing insects as flagship species, especially in a local context for local conservation purposes. Using a standard questionnaire, a total of 363 children, predominantly aged 10 to 12 years, were asked about their attitudes toward 18 invertebrate species indigenous to Switzerland. The species, 14 insect species and four other invertebrates, were individually presented in a color photograph without any background information. Based on ordinal regression models, the survey revealed substantial affinity rating differences across the invertebrates selected. Gender, species knowledge, preferred leisure activities, and family membership of a nature protection organization proved to be significant predictors for children's attitudes in general, and for some specific species in particular. Additionally, existing species knowledge was analyzed and was found to neither depend on school location (urban/rural) nor on gender. The authors propose the inclusion of local invertebrates and species knowledge in the curriculum in early years at primary school while applying teaching methods that allow for real-life experience.