Understanding impacts of changes in artificial lighting regimes on moths

Report contains data that can be used under Open Government Licence.

Main report and appendices contain tables of data, infographics and maps. Some maps have separate copyright statement.

The aim of this project is to investigate the impacts of changing street light types on moth communities. Moths comprise a substantial part of Britain’s biodiversity and are important in food chains and play a role in pollination. Defra has committed, both nationally and internationally, to halt the overall loss of biodiversity by 2020. In 2009 the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (RCEP) published a review of the environmental impacts of artificial light, which concluded that there was a paucity of information on the ecological impact of artificial lighting and that further studies were needed on the likely impacts of broader wavelength technologies that are being more widely introduced. Defra’s commitment to carry out research in this area was stated in the government response to the RCEP review.

Outputs will form part of the evidence base for those making decisions regarding road lighting regimes. The Department for Transport has nominated the Highways Agency to represent their interests on the Project Steering Group.