Written question asked by Ashok Kumar (Labour) on Wednesday, 19 July 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 24 July 2006. It was answered by Barry Gardiner (Labour) on Monday, 4 September 2006 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Moths

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the potential impact on biodiversity of trends in the numbers of common species of moths.

Answer: The Government funds surveys and draws on evidence from many sources relating to different groups of plants and animals, and their habitats, to assess trends in biodiversity.Moths are an important element of many ecosystems. They pollinate plants and, together with their caterpillars, provide food for many other species including birds, bats and small mammals. The decline in the number of common moths over the past 30 years, shown by the Rothamsted Insects Survey, is likely to affect other species.

Secondary information