Written question asked by Andrew Rosindell (Conservative) on Wednesday, 9 November 2011, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 14 November 2011. It was answered by Lord Benyon (Conservative) on Monday, 21 November 2011 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Sussex Emerald Moth

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to protect the Sussex Emerald Moth.

Answer: The Sussex Emerald Moth is fully protected under schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and is listed as a species of principal importance for the conservation of biological diversity under section 41 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act. It is one of England's rarest moths, known from just two sites in Kent, with its stronghold at Dungeness. In recent years, the decline of the Sussex Emerald has been halted and Natural England is working with the RSPB, Butterfly Conservation, and major landowners to increase the population within and around Dungeness through habitat creation.

Secondary information