Karoline Ceron, Diego José Santana, Mathias Mistretta Pires

Crop pests threaten agricultural productivity, causing significant economic losses and food security issues. Although various control methods exist, pesticide reliance raises health and environmental concerns. In this sense, the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a favored approach that minimizes pesticide use while incorporating diverse pest control methods. A key aspect of IPM is biological control, which employs organisms to mitigate pests. However, the potential of certain groups like amphibians in pest suppression is understudied. Our study in Brazil estimates the annual pest control value provided by anurans by combining empirical data, allometric estimates, and spatial analysis. We estimate the value of natural control of native pests in Brazilian crops to be 23.6 billion dollars annually, with the value of natural control attributable to anurans to be $1.18 billion annually for all crops and nearly half a million only for soybean cultivated in Central Brazil. Frogs alone have the potential to reduce the population of invertebrates that may be considered harmful to crops by nearly 300 million individuals annually. Despite this biodiversity-driven biological control being crucial for ecosystem health and agricultural productivity, land use changes and climate change pose threats to these vital functions, leading to the increase of economic losses and food insecurity.