Project launched to look at conservation of bats on farmland

Farmers will learn about bats on farmland thanks to funding
Farmers will learn about bats on farmland thanks to funding

A new project that aims to improve the conservation of bats on farmland has been launched by a charity.

It will help enable an investigation into agri-environment scheme habitat requirements of bats in Hampshire and Dorset.

The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) has received a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) worth £9,400 to help kick-start the project.

This work will be done through focused surveys on 15 farms and the findings will help to advance current knowledge of bat farmland ecology by identifying key habitats for farmland bat conservation.

Farmers, landowners and conservationists will be educated on ways in which to improve foraging habitats for bats as well as being provided with valuable information on the distribution and abundance of bats on farmland.

Bat populations declined significantly in the UK during the 20th century due to roosting and foraging habitat loss.

These declines were in part caused by agricultural intensification.

'Critical need to understand'

Bat roosts in Britain are protected under legislation, but foraging sites are unprotected making them susceptible to land use changes.

But the GWCT wants to establish which habitats on arable land are attractive to bats today and promote these habitats to farmers to aid bat conservation.

“When we think about farmland wildlife, bats are unlikely to be among the first species that spring to mind,” said GWCT postdoctoral ecologist Niamh McHugh.

“But there is a critical need to understand how farmland can be managed to benefit bats and we hope our project, with the support of the National Lottery, will help landowners to learn how to better conserve these fascinating creatures.”

Nerys Watts, head of HLF South West, said: “Bats are an incredibly important part of our natural heritage but they are at risk – a fact that National Lottery funded projects across the UK are trying to change.

“We’re delighted to support this project which will involve local people, farmers and other partners to develop an understanding of how farmland works as a habitat for bats and what needs to change to help them.”