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The State of Britain's Moths report
Where have Britain's moths gone? Buy your copy of this vital new report
Our new report reveals that the moth population of Britain is in serious decline, causing concern for the future of many species of birds, bats and several small mammals that feed on them
Key findings from the report
Common moths are declining
Since 1968, the Rothamsted network of light traps has been recording numbers of larger moths caught every night from hundreds of locations across Britain. This provides one of the longest-running and geographically extensive data sets on insect populations anywhere in the world. Analysis of this data set, carried out by Rothamsted Research and Butterfly Conservation, has generated national population trends for hundreds of common moths for the first time.
The total number of moths recorded in Rothamsted trap samples has declined by a third since 1968. Population trends were generated for 337 moth species. Two thirds (226 species) show a decreasing population trend over the 35 year study. Such widespread declines are likely to be having detrimental knock-on effects on other organisms.
Implications
Changes in the extent and quality of suitable habitat are amongst the prime suspects driving the declines of many once common moths, with pesticide use, eutrophication and light pollution perhaps contributing in some or many cases. Climate change also seems to be affecting moth distribution, abundance and phenology and has been implicated in the only case of moth population decline that has been investigated in detail thus far (the Garden Tiger Arctia caja).
Moths are important
They make up a significant part of our biodiversity (c. 2500 species in Britain), occur in large numbers, and many other organisms, such as birds, bats and many invertebrates depend upon them for food.
Moths are part of our natural heritage
They have been studied for over 300 years in Britain and the group is well known. There are many thousands of amateur recorders and interest in moths is growing rapidly.
Moths are threatened
62 moth species became extinct in Britain during the twentieth century and many more species are considered now to be nationally threatened or scarce. The UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) lists 53 moths as national priority species for conservation. Survey work, ecological research and habitat management over the past few years has benefited at least 27 of these priority moths. However, eight species are considered to be in a worse position now than at the beginning of the BAP process a decade ago.
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