working today for nature tomorrow - Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen

7.4.4 Personal conclusionsIn our view bat boxes are a good instrument to survey for the occurrence of bat species in awoodland and to observe certain colonies or marked individuals. The conservation value ofbat boxes is limited to areas without old trees, where natural bat roosts are missing. In suchareas bat boxes can be helpful for bats to survive until such time when trees become oldenough to have holes and crevices. However, bat boxes should only be used if it is ensuredthat somebody cares for them for many years. Bat boxes should not be used in old-growthforests and core areas of nature reserves or national parks.The creation of artificial bat roosts should never be an argument for the erection of high seatsfor hunters. If special structures for bats are attached to high seats local bat populations mayhave some benefit from using them. But this effect is low compared to the very probableeffect of changing the current woodland bat community by favouring species normallyroosting in houses. Species that prefer crevices and are endangered by a lack of suitableroosting (for example Bechstein’s bat and barbastelle) are not improved by such structures onhigh seats.There is no need for the creation of more underground hibernation sites within woodlands.Conservation efforts for bats in woodlands should concentrate on above-ground roosts intrees, which can be used by bats during summer and winter.8. Examples of good woodland management practiceSome national and regional programmes of woodland management have a target of adaptivetimber harvest and maximum care of the forest fauna (Meschede & Heller 2000). However,none evaluated aspects of bat conservation in practice. Consequently, there are no examplesof bat-friendly woodland management practices available so far. It is a challenge for futurebat research to investigate the impact of certain management practices or programmes on batpopulations and bat communities of the various forest types found in Europe. Basic data forsuch an evaluation are collected by many local bat surveys in woodlands, especiallyinvestigations in national parks and other unexploited forest areas.58