1991 - 2006. EUROBATS celebrates its 15th anniversary

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86 EUROBATS Publication Series No 1 Countries First steps towards EUROBATS The current generation of bat workers in Serbia has matured in step with EUROBATS. For both, the beginning of the 1990s marked a turning point. Contacts with the Europe- an bat (and general mammal) community have remained limited for quite some time. Nevertheless, at the personal and NGO le- vel those contacts led to invitations (spe- cial credit and gratitude are due here to Mr. Peter Lina) for Serbian representatives to attend the 6 th Meeting of the EUROBATS Advisory Committee. The year 2001 saw a nomination in Portugal to the post of scientific focal point and in 2002 the first National Report was submitted to EUROBATS. Since then Serbia has been a regular and active participant at all meetings. Indeed, despite its observer status, it continues to make an effort to contribute to EUROBATS activities. Its participation remained unofficial until 2003, when the responsible ministry finally intervened and someone was appointed to serve as an administrative focal point for matters related to bats. Although the countries are not yet Parties to the Agreement, bat conservation efforts in Serbia have been benefiting from EUROBATS. Here it is worth mentioning that EUROBATS and UNEP, as well as a number of Parties to the Agreement, frequently put forward arguments that cannot be disregarded in any debate about bat conservation, and these entities have thus become an important source of support for our own conservationists, especially when dealing with official governmental authorities. Joint efforts by bat workers and the ministry responsible for EUROBATS matters have helped to improve relations between the two sides. We consider the role of the EUROBATS meetings to be equally significant for Party and non-Party range states. Those few days in the year offer a unique opportunity for the whole European bat worker community to gather and discuss important scientific and conservation issues, to exchange plans, ideas, opinions and experience, as well as to develop their expertise and establish personal contacts, thus preparing the way for future collaboration and in general furthering the cause of bat conservation. Before we started attending the EUROBATS meetings, such opportunities were rare, occurring only at the margin of symposiums. The participants from Serbia have certainly benefited from the EUROBATS meetings, whilst also striving to make their own contribution. Recent and current activities The EUROBATS connection has served to strengthen bat research, conservation and public awareness activities in Serbia . Many of our recent and ongoing bat projects are EUROBATS-inspired, especially those relating to preliminary monitoring of important roosting sites and the training of future bat workers. Since it first took place in 2000, in Belgrade, European Bat Night has become a regular event with us, held also in several other towns. It has not only attracted the general public to its ongoing activities but also initiated many publications and even a documentary on bats called “Letece nocobdije” (Flying night-dwellers) by the Ecological Department of the Serbian national RTV Broadcast (Paunovic et Karapandza 2003). EUROBATS’ most important impact on the study and conservation of bats in Serbia has probably been the launching of
an ongoing data-processing and -updating programme, needed for the annual reports. This, with cooperation from the responsible authorities, has led to the development of a National Action Plan for the Conservation of Bats (Paunovic et al. 2004). This Action Plan is the cornerstone of a book soon to be pu- blished, dedicated to bat diversity in Serbia: a key project preoccupying the bat-worker community in Serbia for the last two years. Needs and prospects The central priority for bat protection and conservation is to ensure that the new Di- rective on Protection becomes effective as soon as possible. The ratification of important international Conventions, EUROBATS especially, is also considered a top priority by the entire scientific community. Although environmental issues are not always accorded primary importance by the government, the full and sincere commitment of the responsible Ministry (since the political changes in 2000) to the new Law on Environmental Protection (Sl. glasnik 2004), gives reason for optimism. However, the main problem facing bat studies and conservation practices in Serbia remains lack of finances, though this situation has been improving over the last few years. The continuing processes of political stabilization and association with the EU, as well as the expected economic development resulting from these, should help to resolve the difficulty in the foreseeable future. If the financial resources problem eases, our tradition of bat conservation, in combination with our modern scientific momentum, will be able to realise its full potential, and better times for bats and bat workers will follow. 1991-2006 • EUROBATS celebrates its 15 th anniversary The autors (from left to right) Branko Karapanza, Jelena Ducic and Milan Paunovic. Branko Karapanza Wildlife Conservation Society E-mail: karapandza@neobee.net Dr. Milan Paunovic Natural History Museum and Wildlife Conservation Society E-mail: milan.paunovic@nhmbeo.org.yu Jelena Ducic Ministry of Science and Environmental Protection E-mail: jelena.ducic@ekoserb.sr.gov.yu Literature Dokic, L. (1883) Analiticki i sistematski pregled zivotinja u Kraljevini Srbiji, I Kicmenjaci, Sisari, 8-28, Beograd. Group of authors (1990) Pregled zasticenih objekata prirode za period 19481990 godine – I deo. Zastita prirode, 41-42: 120-147, Beograd. Marinkovic, V. (18 1). Estetstvena povestnica za mladez srbsku, Pri pravitel’stvenoj kn’igopecatn’i kn. srbskog’, 493 pp., Beograd. 87
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EUROBATS Publication Series No 1 19
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When one tugs at a single thing in
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Contents Foreword 1991-2006 • EUR
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Foreword 15 years of EUROBATS, a mo
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On the eve of the 1 th anniversary
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monitoring activities and advising
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Happy Birthday EUROBATS! NABU, the
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an Agreement on the Conservation of
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Signing of the Bats Agreement: Rt.
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Just over 1 years ago, I got a new
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was finalised by using part of the
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the conservation of Schreiber´s ba
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were adopted with some amendments w
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and non-governmental organisations
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1991-2006 • EUROBATS celebrates i
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at conservation programs. The Agree
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fauna is represetned. At present 28
Page 37 and 38: 1991-2006 • EUROBATS celebrates i
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 53 and 54: an unacceptable rate of injuries ca
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: lionidae family, so the number of p
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 105 and 106: Investigations Project continues
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
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