On this week's Earth Beat: we take you to the Pestival, a celebration of insects; ecoducts link animal habitats; the Dutch flood hard-won land to fight rising tides; and scientists set sail on the sequel to The Beagle's voyage.

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The Pestival: a celebration of insects
Last weekend, London’s cultural hub, the South Bank, suffered an infestation of insects. Infestation is probably the wrong word, given that this was a welcome invasion. Artists, scientists, engineers, comedians, musicians and amateur enthusiasts from all over the world swarmed into town for Pestival, a celebration of insects. Humans and insects have an uneasy relationship. Even animal lovers tend to make exceptions for mosquitos, house flies and ants. So as one of pestival’s organisers, Stephanie Fudge explained, the aim was to rekindle a little love, to help us appreciate what insects do for us.
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Ecoduct helps the rabbit cross the road
Environmentally minded individuals have been building bridges between humans and the Dutch animal population. Literally. The nature bridge welcomes anything from tiny reptiles to badgers to highland cattle. In a country as small as the Netherlands, there isn’t really much in the way of wilderness. Many animals find their natural habitat have been intersected by roads, industrial parks or railways - which means it can be very difficult for animals to move safely from one area to the other. The nature bridge, or ecoduct helps animals get beyond this barrier, and the world's longest and widest in the world is to be found in right on Earth Beat's doorstep. RNW's Johan van Slooten crossed the kilometre long bridge with Paul Hulsink, a guide at the Hilversum nature reserve.
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The voyage of the Beagle take two
More than 100 scientists set sail last week in a re-creation of Charles Darwin's famous voayge on The Beagle. That journey led Darwin to develop his Theory of Evolution, published 150 years ago in a book called On The Origin of Species. But this year's trip won't be focusing on nature’s origins, but rather on its future. The scientists will be visiting the same places as Darwin, in an attempt to poll the health of the planet in the face of climate change and global warming. Among them is Darwin's great great granddaughter Sarah. RNW's Willemien Groot asked the group what they aim to achieve.
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Flood land to prevent further flooding
The Dutch landscape looks solid enough but the potential of flooding is never far away. The tension between land and water has reached new heights. As the sea level increases, so does the land's vulnerability. For centuries the country has depended on high set walls called dykes to defend them from flooding. But now a radical new project is underway where instead of keeping the flood water out, room is being made for it. 40 areas are actually being made into flood zones which will make the water level in the rivers lower, leaving more densely populated areas dry. Earth Beat reporter Medha went to find out why letting the water in is the new way of keeping the Dutch dry.
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Envirominute: computers worse than planes?
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Earth Beat will start producing weekly envirominutes: short, clear explanations of environmental issues and concepts. Have a question you would to hear answered in an envirominute? E-mail us at .

In next week’s Earth Beat:
Safety in our Cities. More and more of us live in urban environments and fear of crime is driving some to ever greater security measures. Like residents of Dainfern gated community in South Africa. We speak to experts who say we are building a climate of fear with our modern cities and that perception actually makes people more likely to become a victim of crime.