Conservation of bats in British woodlands

Le résumé fourni par la source

Broadleaved woodlands are probably the most important of British habitats for bat conservation. For most of the year they support a great variety and abundance of invertebrates for bats to feed on. They also offer a huge selection of tree cavities – crevices, bark flaps, fissures and woodpecker holes – where bats can rest during the day and where females can gather in maternity colonies, to give birth and nurse their young. All 16 British species of bat make regular use of trees and wooded areas, and some of our rarest bats are woodland specialists. Yet, in spite of their importance, there is a distinct lack of knowledge about bats in woodlands. Even most bat specialists know much less about the distribution, behaviour or conservation status of bats inhabiting woodlands than about bats that roost in buildings or caves. The main reason for this is that bats are particularly difficult to find or record in woodlands, which has made them very hard to survey or study. In this article we describe a technique which we have developed that overcomes some of these difficulties and makes it possible, for the first time, to survey woodlands for bats in a systematic way. In 2005 and 2006, we used this technique to survey bats in woods in the south-east of England. The results of those surveys strongly suggest that the number of bats and diversity of species found in a woodland are related to the predominant tree species and the structure of the wood. We shall summarise these findings, discuss some of their implications for woodland management, and conclude by arguing that woodlands should become a major focus of future efforts to monitor bat populations and promote their conservation.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.