Moth Diversity and Conservation in Agricultural Landscapes

Agricultural landscapes encompass a mosaic of arable fields, hedgerows, grass margins and isolated woodland patches that together support a rich assemblage of moths. These nocturnal insects serve as pollinators, prey for higher trophic levels and indicators of ecosystem health. Intensification of farming practices has driven declines in many moth species through habitat loss, pesticide use and landscape homogenisation. However, targeted conservation measures—such as sympathetic hedgerow management, restoration of species-rich grassland and spatially informed creation of semi-natural habitat—can reverse or mitigate these trends. At field scale, reduced trimming of hedgerows, retention of flowering field margins and judicious pesticide regimes enhance larval host-plant availability and nectar resources. At landscape scale, connectivity between habitat fragments, multi-scale structural diversity and maintenance of woodland corridors improve dispersal and genetic exchange among moth populations. Recent work further emphasises the importance of functional diversity—reflecting a range of feeding guilds, phenologies and mobility strategies—to buffer communities against environmental change. Together, these insights underpin practical agri-environment prescriptions that reconcile productive farming with the conservation of moth diversity.

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Moth Diversity and Conservation in Agricultural Landscapes publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in moth diversity and conservation in agricultural landscapes across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Agri-environment scheme (AES): A policy mechanism offering incentives to farmers for adopting wildlife-friendly practices in agricultural settings.

Functional diversity: The range and value of species’ ecological roles, reflecting traits such as feeding guild, dispersal ability and phenology.

Hedgerow: A linear boundary of shrubs and trees that provides habitat, corridors and refuge for invertebrates in farmland.

Habitat connectivity: The degree to which landscape elements allow movement and genetic exchange between populations.

Macro-moth / Micro-moth: Informal grouping based on adult size, with macro-moths generally larger and often more mobile than micro-moths.

References

1. Moth responses to sympathetic hedgerow management in temperate farmland. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment (2019).
2. Successful restoration of moth abundance and species-richness in grassland created under agri-environment schemes. Biological Conservation (2017).
3. Spatial targeting of habitat creation has the potential to improve agri‐environment scheme outcomes for macro‐moths. Journal of Applied Ecology (2016).
4. Qualitative and Quantitative Loss of Habitat at Different Spatial Scales Affects Functional Moth Diversity. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (2021).