1991 - 2006. EUROBATS celebrates its 15th anniversary

ing protection to bats was the decree on
Protection of Beneficial Birds and Mammals
in 1966. However, bats were excluded from
the species protection act that followed in
1976, although they had been mentioned in
the draft. It was not until 1993 that official
bat protection was restored. All species re-
corded in the country were included in the
decree on Protection of Endangered Animal
Species. In 2000, a new Law on Nature Con-
servation was passed, followed later by a
new decree on species protection based on
the same principles.
Besides all bat species, their habitats
also are protected under the Habitats Direc-
tive. Potential Sites of Community Interest
(pSCIs) were proposed for nine bat species
on the Annex II list (Kryštufek et al. 2003).
The final official list of proposed sites was
evolved in bio-geographic seminars, where
some additions were proposed by a SDPVN
representative. For the majority of species
the most important roosts, together with
a rough estimate of potential foraging ha-
bitats, are included in pSCIs. However, for
Bechstein’s bat and the Barbastelle a wide
area of deciduous and mixed forests, desi-
gnated for large carnivores, was proposed
in the absence of roost data (see Presetnik
et al., in press). All bat species are included
in the Red List of Endangered Plant and Ani-
mal Species.
Slovenia is a signatory to internation-
al agreements under which bats are pro-
tected. In 1988, the Bonn Convention (CMS)
was ratified, and a year later the Bern Con-
vention. Unfortunately, although members
of SDPVN had been lobbying in favour of
membership since 1996, the country signed
up to the EUROBATS rather late (in 2003).
However, in the meantime, government re-
1991-2006 • EUROBATS celebrates its 15 th anniversary
presentatives had been stating positive in-
tentions and regularly attending meetings
of the EUROBATS Advisory Committee
(AC). SDPVN members had also participated
in AC meetings in order to exchange experiences
with foreign bat conservationists
and represent non-governmental views on
bat conservation in Slovenia.
Implementing bat conservation
The first attempts to put bat protection
policies into practice in Slovenia started
in the late 1980s. They mostly aimed at the
protection of cave-dwelling bats, for example
by placing appeals for bat protection
in cavers’ magazines (Kryštufek 1986).
The strategy was effective in the case of a
Lesser horseshoe bat hibernaculum in the
Marijino Brezno cave, which was closed,
using bat friendly grills, by members of the
Ljubljana Speleological Society. The positive
effect of the grill construction was very
evident, and the cave has latterly become
home to the largest group of hibernating
Lesser horseshoe bats in Slovenia (about
900 animals) (Petrinjak 200 ).
Systematic work on bat conservation
in Slovenia began with the formation of a
Section for Bat Research and Conservation
within the Biology Students Society (BSS)
in 1998. It joined the individuals already involved
in bat research at the time and also
attracted new ones. In 2001, the section became
an independent society (SDPVN). Our
belief in the interconnection between bat
research and bat conservation is reflected
in the main goals of SDPVN:
• to study distribution and other aspects
of bat biology in Slovenia;
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