Rare moths living the high life in England’s protected tree-tops
16 September 2010
An extensive, two year survey of moths in England’s protected woodlands has revealed the extraordinary range of threatened moth species living in our tree tops.
Painstaking identification of 22,500 separate records revealed that over a thousand different moth species – including nearly a hundred of England’s rarest - were living in the canopies of woodland Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), including the common fanfoot, heart moth and light crimson underwing.
An incredible 348 moth species were found at Roudsea Wood & Mosses SSSI in Cumbria, while Langley Wood SSSI in Wiltshire - not previously known as an important site for moth habitat – supported no less than 15 of our most rare and threatened moth species.
Dr Tom Tew, Chief Scientist for Natural England, said: “Moths, by their nature, are elusive, so the findings of this comprehensive study into the diversity and distribution of moths in our woodlands provides an important scientific record.
“The findings also demonstrate how important these woodland habitats are for some of our most threatened species of moth, such as the dark crimson underwing and the triangle. Moths, like their daytime cousins butterflies, play an important role in England’s biodiversity and the pollination of plants and flowers. We have been given a rare glimpse of the habits of these night time beauties and this data will enhance future habitat protection”.
Mark Parsons, of Butterfly Conservation, said: “We have been extremely pleased to have worked alongside Natural England in revealing the importance of these SSSIs for their moth fauna. Woodlands, and their associated habitats, are known to support a wide range of species and appropriate management is key to the continued survival of many of these moths and other insects. Long term monitoring of moths show large scale losses since the late 1960’s so it is great to reveal just how important these sites are”.
Natural Environment Minister, Richard Benyon, said “These results show just how important our SSSI and other wildlife sites are. We now have 94 per cent of SSSIs in a good condition and as we continue to make further progress I hope to see more plants and animals thriving in our natural environment.”
The results of the two year’s sampling are as follows:
180 sampling sessions took place at 45 SSSIs
22,557 records were collected of 1083 moth species
98 Red Data Book/Nationally Notable moth species were recorded: 16 Red Data Book, 10 Nationally Notable A, 72 Nationally Notable B
10 UK BAP Priority species were recorded: Anania funebris, Chalk Carpet (2 sites), Drab Looper, Concolorous, Heart Moth, White-spotted Pinion, Light Crimson Underwing, Dark Crimson Underwing, Common Fan-foot (5 sites) and Clay Fan-foot (3 sites)
3 former UK BAP Priority (1999 to 2007) species were recorded: Waved Carpet, Square-spotted Clay (2 sites) and White-lined Snout (3 sites) together with a new site for Buttoned Snout found whilst travelling between sites.
Greatest diversity of moth species recorded: 348 at Roudsea Wood & Mosses SSSI
Highest number Red Data Book/Notable moths recorded: 15 at Langley Wood SSSI
Notes to editors:
Photographs available: common fanfoot, triangle, dark crimson underwing, light crimson underwing, heart moth, white-spotted pinion and chalk carpet moth. (photo credits: Butterfly Conservation)
For further information: please contact:
Beth Rose, Natural England press office: 0300 060 1405 or 07900 608 052, out of hours: 07970 098005.
beth.rose@naturalengland.org.uk or press@naturalengland.org.uk
Louise Keeling, Butterfly Conservation press office: 01929 406005
lkeeling@butterfly-conservation.org
About Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI):
SSSIs are the country's very best wildlife and geological sites. There are over 4,000 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in England, covering around 7% of the country's land area. SSSIs are important as they support plants and animals that find it more difficult to survive in the wider countryside and more than 70% of these sites, (by area) are internationally important for their wildlife.
The unique and varied habitats of SSSIs have developed over hundreds of years through management practices such as grazing and forestry; they need active management to maintain their conservation interest.
Natural England works with more than 26,000 separate owners and land managers, who work very hard to conserve these important sites. Maintaining goodwill and building upon the enthusiasm, knowledge and interest of owners is vital to successfully manage these nationally important sites.
The UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP)
The UK Biodiversity Action Plan, published in 1994, was the UK Government’s response to signing the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit.
The plan set out a programme for conserving the UK’s biodiversity. It also led to the production of 436 action plans between 1995 and 1999 to help many of the UK’s most threatened species and habitats to recover. Details of these plans can be found at the UK Biodiversity Partnership website. A review of the UK BAP priority list in 2007 led to the identification of 1,150 species and 65 habitats that meet the BAP criteria at UK level.
Assessment of progress with implementation of the UK BAP currently takes place every three years. Data from the latest reporting round in 2008 will be used with other indicators to show how the UK has progressed towards the CBD 2010 target to achieve a significant reduction in the rate of biodiversity loss. For up-to-date information on progress of local and national plans, visit the Biodiversity Action Reporting System (BARS) website
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About Natural England:
Natural England is the government’s independent adviser on the natural environment. Established in 2006 our work is focused on enhancing England’s wildlife and landscapes and maximising the benefits they bring to the public.
We establish and care for England’s main wildlife and geological sites, ensuring that over 4,000 National Nature Reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest are looked after and improved.
We work to ensure that England’s landscapes are effectively protected, designating England’s National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Marine Conservation Zones, and advising widely on their conservation.
We run Environmental Stewardship and other green farming schemes that deliver over £400 million a year to farmers and landowners, enabling them to enhance the natural environment across two thirds of England’s farmland.
We fund, manage, and provide scientific expertise for hundreds of conservation projects each year, improving the prospects for thousands of England’s species and habitats.
We promote access to the wider countryside, helping establish National Trails and coastal trails and ensuring that the public can enjoy and benefit from them.
For further information contact: The National Press Office on 0845 603 9953, press@naturalengland.org.uk out of hours 07970 098005. For further information about Natural England please visit: www.naturalengland.org.uk
Butterfly Conservation:
Butterfly Conservation is the largest insect conservation charity in Europe with nearly 15,000 members in the UK. Its aim is the conservation of butterflies, moths and their habitats. It runs conservation programmes on over 100 threatened species of butterfly and moth as well as world leading recording and monitoring programmes. It helped found Butterfly Conservation Europe, an umbrella organisation aimed at stimulating and co-ordinating the conservation of butterflies, moths and their habitats across Europe. This has a network of 37 partners in 35 countries.
For further information, visit the Butterfly Conservation website.
Butterfly Conservation Company limited by guarantee, registered in England (2206468).
Registered Office: Manor Yard, East Lulworth, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 5QP.
Charity registered in England & Wales (254937) and in Scotland (SCO39268)
