1991 - 2006. EUROBATS celebrates its 15th anniversary
1991 - 2006. EUROBATS celebrates its 15th anniversary
1991 - 2006. EUROBATS celebrates its 15th anniversary
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72<br />
<strong>EUROBATS</strong> Publication Series No 1 Countries<br />
Three projects to protect summer roosts<br />
were named several times in the questi-<br />
onnaires. The first was the successful pro-<br />
tection of breeding colonies of bats in Lo-<br />
wer Silesia, carried out in the 90s by the<br />
Polish Society of Wildlife Fiends “pro Natu-<br />
ra”. Several important breeding colonies in<br />
lofts (mostly of Rhinolophus hipposideros)<br />
were protected. Many of the projects that<br />
followed took advantage of methods deve-<br />
loped during the aforementioned example.<br />
The next project “Protection of barn<br />
owls and bats in sacral buildings” was the<br />
first big conservation project organised by a<br />
consortium of several NGOs united in PON.<br />
It was coordinated by the Mazovian Society<br />
of Fauna Protection (now named: Wildlife<br />
Society “Stork”). The last project dealt with<br />
the protection of a Myotos myotis colony<br />
(ca. 400 individuals) in the old school in Ko-<br />
panki. In this case it was not the scale that<br />
was important, but the method of protec-<br />
tion. In the loft a special “bat observatory”<br />
was built by “Salamandra”. Now it is an education<br />
centre visited by several thousand<br />
people every year, who not only learn about<br />
bats from lectures and an exhibition, but<br />
can observe live bats in a way that is safe<br />
for the animals. Bats have now become the<br />
main tourist attraction in this village, benefiting<br />
from the special attention and care of<br />
local citizens.<br />
The last “milestone” project, which was<br />
named in some questionnaires, was the establishing<br />
of a bat hospital in Poznan in the<br />
90’s by “Salamandra”. It did not result in any<br />
direct protection, although several hundred<br />
bats were treated there. However, the idea<br />
that bats are such precious animals, with a<br />
specialised ‘hospital’ dedicated to their protection,<br />
had a big influence on the general<br />
Bat hospital in Poznan © Andrzej Kepel<br />
public’s attitude. Later similar hospitals in<br />
other cities were established. Unfortunately<br />
because of a lack of resources and changes<br />
in the legislation, most of them were closed<br />
in 2004 and 200 and now only one bat hospital<br />
in Warsaw remains.<br />
Transboundary co-operation<br />
The project “Bats of Sudety” is often considered<br />
the most important international<br />
project. Chiropterologists of three neighboring<br />
countries (Czech Republic, Germany<br />
and Poland) cooperate and exchange experiences<br />
to monitor and protect bats in the<br />
Sudety Mountains.<br />
The project to protect bats’ hibernacula<br />
in Western Poland, coordinated by the<br />
“pro Natura” Society together with several<br />
German partners, (e.g. German Army) was<br />
mentioned several times as well.<br />
Legislation cornerstones<br />
There is only one legislation cornerstone in<br />
this 1 -year period concerning bats. It was