How will the EU monitor moths?

As EU countries prepare to implement a common approach to pollinator monitoring, an EBOCC online workshop brought together national coordinators and technical experts to discuss a very practical question: how should moth monitoring work on the ground?

Pollinator monitoring  depends on the systematic data collection in the field. For moths, this raises practical questions such as which light traps to use, how sampling should be organised and how moths should be handled and identified. 

There are more than 3000 different species of moths that will be covered by the EU Pollinator Monitoring Scheme (EU-PoMS). Moths are important pollinators, although often overlooked due to their nocturnal life.

These questions were at the centre of an online workshop on 8 October 2026 hosted by the EU Biodiversity Observation Coordination Centre (EBOCC) project.

The workshop supports implementation of the EU-PoMS, which provides a common framework for monitoring pollinators across EU Member States.

Further information and materials can be accessed here.

National monitoring coordinators, administrators and technical experts discussed the practical arrangements needed for collecting data on moths under EU-PoMS. The session covered different light trap options, field sampling procedures, and approaches to handling, photographing and identifying moths both in situ and ex situ.

An important part of the workshop was the exchange between participants. Conditions for moth monitoring differ considerably between countries and regions, so participants discussed practical challenges that national teams may encounter when organising the field work. These included e.g. arranging the logistics of the monitoring and the use of AI tools for species recognition.

The workshop is part of a wider EBOCC peer-to-peer exchange designed to help EU countries turn common EU-PoMS methodology into cost-effective national monitoring programmes. The exchanges also provide an opportunity to identify questions where further technical guidance or support may be useful.

The EBOCC is a Preparatory Action funded by the European Union, managed by the European Commission and implemented by a consortium of European biodiversity monitoring, research and environmental organisations.