1991 - 2006. EUROBATS celebrates its 15th anniversary

More documents

Recommendations

Info

102 EUROBATS Publication Series No 1 Countries BCT was set up as an NGO with funding from government departments and the statutory nature conservation agencies for England, Scotland and Wales; collaboration with WWF UK and charitable trusts keen to see bat conservation move forward was also vital to its establishment. The EURO- BATS Agreement was vital in building the case for funding. A major achievement has been the establishment of the BCT’s National Bat Monitoring Programme (NBMP) in 1996; this is the longest running multi-species monitoring programme for mammals in the UK. The NBMP currently produces statis-tically robust population trends for 11 of the UK’s 17 resident bat species. EUROBATS Resolution 2.2 on monitoring was integral to setting up the NBMP as a research project funded by the Department for Environment, Transport and the Regions and to securing further funding from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Environment Agency and People’s Trust for Endangered Species. Support has also been received from English Nature and Countryside Council for Wales. Over 2,000 volunteers have taken part in the NBMP, with surveys at over 3,200 roost and field sites, amounting to 1 ,000 evenings of work! It is only with the goodwill of so many volunteers contributing that we are now able to identify trends that are underpinning recommendations for bat conservation in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan process. Working towards EUROBATS Resolution 2.2, the monitoring methods that have been developed by the NBMP have been shared across Europe and, with funding from the UK government, workshops have been held by BCT in Romania, France, Georgia, the UK and Slovenia. By doing this countries meet the EUROBATS resolutions on sharing knowledge and experience of methods for monitoring, and also in providing training in effective use of bat detectors. To further share best practice and knowledge workshops have also been held in Finland and the Republic of Ireland. None of this would have occurred without the collaboration of NGOs across Europe, brought together by EUROBATS. Another major achievement has been the establishment of the BCT’s training and education programme, prompted in part by the obligations in Article III of the Agreement. BCT runs training courses for nonbat professionals and bat experts, including arboriculturalists, land-use planning officers, ecologists, bat rehabilitators and bat surveyors. Again, collaboration with UK government departments and other charities has been vital to enable this training to develop and proceed. This works towards EUROBATS Resolution 3.8. Also highlighting areas where further training and education is needed is the Bat Investigations Project. This was started in 2001 as a collaborative project between BCT and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds because it was clear that European and country law was being broken with respect to bats. It also works towards Article III of the Agreement. The Project ran for two years and recorded 144 offences against bats or their roosts. It is worrying that 67% of these involved building and construction industries, and the majority involved roost destruction; also, because most offences occur on private land and do not get reported, the actual figure will be many more than 144 for that two year period. The
Investigations Project conti- nues with financial contribu- tions from bat groups. Simi- lar numbers of offences are 1991-2006 • EUROBATS celebrates its 15 th anniversary being recorded, still with the majority involving the building and construction industry. However, the Project has resulted in bat related crime being targeted as a Wildlife Crime Priority by the police, with the result of increased awareness by the police and more offences being pursued through the legal system. BCT team in spring 2006. © BCT Important improvements to domestic bat with agri-environment schemes to promote protection law have been made for England their conservation. and Wales in the form of the Countryside and The Action Plan also identified forest Rights of Way Act 2000. This added reckless management as an area that needed tak- to the offence of intentional damage, deing forward. Subsequently the German restruction or obstruction of roosts, and also search project Bats and Forest Management added reckless to the offence of intentional was initiated in 199 to formulate recom- disturbance of a bat at a roost. In Scotland mendations for the protection and support the protection went even further, with the of forest dwelling bats. BCT utilised this Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 knowledge and, with assistance from Peter adding reckless to the offence of intentional Boye and other EUROBAT contacts, inve- killing, injuring or taking of a bat. stigated tree and woodland management The EUROBATS Action Plan — drafted in in the UK that would benefit bats, with the 199 , was the first step towards protecting aim of producing guidelines for managers the foraging habitat of bats. “Although the of both private and public woodlands and UK’s existing legislation protected bats and forests. In collaboration with the Forestry their roosts, it was realised that more action Commission, English Nature and the Coun- was needed to safeguard bats at a poputryside Council for Wales, guidelines were lation level because foraging areas were produced in 200 and widely circulated. being destroyed. The EUROBATS Action Working towards Resolutions 1 Annex Plan drew attention to the importance of K and 4.9 on implementing the Conserva- protecting foraging habitat, not just roosts”, tion Management Plan, and with funding explains Prof Paul Racey, present at the from UK Government Departments, BCT 1991 signing and Scientific Adviser to the organised a three-day workshop in Decem- BCT. The Plan helps the UK identify importber 2004 in the UK to investigate minimum ant bat foraging areas that may be targeted bat survey requirements for three areas of 103
Page 1 and 2:
EUROBATS Publication Series No 1 19
Page 3:
When one tugs at a single thing in
Page 7 and 8:
Contents Foreword 1991-2006 • EUR
Page 9 and 10:
Foreword 15 years of EUROBATS, a mo
Page 11 and 12:
On the eve of the 1 th anniversary
Page 13 and 14:
monitoring activities and advising
Page 15 and 16:
Happy Birthday EUROBATS! NABU, the
Page 17 and 18:
an Agreement on the Conservation of
Page 19 and 20:
Signing of the Bats Agreement: Rt.
Page 21 and 22:
Just over 1 years ago, I got a new
Page 23 and 24:
was finalised by using part of the
Page 25 and 26:
the conservation of Schreiber´s ba
Page 27 and 28:
were adopted with some amendments w
Page 29 and 30:
and non-governmental organisations
Page 31 and 32:
1991-2006 • EUROBATS celebrates i
Page 33 and 34:
at conservation programs. The Agree
Page 35 and 36:
fauna is represetned. At present 28
Page 37 and 38:
Page 39 and 40:
Monitoring Bats are extensively stu
Page 41 and 42:
the EUROBATS Agreement, in conjunct
Page 43 and 44:
different villages in the Bulgarian
Page 45 and 46:
Myotis capaccinii © Boyan Petrov N
Page 47 and 48:
some 110 associates, including many
Page 49 and 50:
Page 51 and 52:
Page 53 and 54: an unacceptable rate of injuries ca
Page 55 and 56: 1991-2006 • EUROBATS celebrates i
Page 57 and 58: International exchange If we look a
Page 59 and 60: The Bat House The Bat House was fou
Page 63 and 64: Participants at a bat detector trai
Page 67 and 68: Future challenges Looking to EUROBA
Page 69 and 70: to develop effective conservation s
Page 75 and 76: the 28 th September 2004, when the
Page 79 and 80: Recent conservation activities In r
Page 83 and 84: • establishing a national databas
Page 87 and 88: lionidae family, so the number of p
Page 89 and 90: an ongoing data-processing and -upd
Page 93 and 94: (in 1997 turned to new name “Vesp
Page 95 and 96: Lehotska, B. & Lehotsky, R. (200 )
Page 97 and 98: ing protection to bats was the decr
Page 99 and 100: ist use of cave roosts and on renov
Page 101 and 102: Presentation of bats at the element
Page 103: 1991-2006 • EUROBATS celebrates i
Page 107 and 108: at conservation high up in governme
Page 109 and 110: FFPS Flora and Fauna Preservation S
Page 111 and 112: Holy See 1991-2006 • EUROBATS cel
Page 113: Myotis hajastanicus (Argyropulo, 19
show all

1991 - 2006. EUROBATS celebrates its 15th anniversary

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?