Bats an Indicator of the UK’s Biodiversity
I remember vividly the sight of my dad running for cover, making slow groaning sounds, thrashing wildly at the air like some madman from a B-movie.
I was a mere toddler, blanket in one hand, thumb in mouth (think Linus) - wondering what all the fuss was about.
It was dusk and the bats were out, darting this way and that, catching insects as the summer’s sun slid from view, leaving that beautiful blue light before darkness descends.
I shrugged in an awfully precocious manner, looked at mummy, then turned my eyes back to the bats.
And today, Defra (the UK’s Department for Environment, Food And Rural Affairs) have announced that bats are to be used to help measure the biodiversity of the UK.
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Bat populations are vulnerable, so they serve as a good indicator for the wider health of the UK’s wildlife. Pressures faced by bats including landscape change, agricultural intensification, development, and habitat fragmentation are also relevant to many other wildlife species.
Wintering waterbirds such as the Whooper Swan have also been included in the UK Indicator* for the first time, helping to measure the effects of a changing climate. A recent decline in numbers has been associated with a spate of warm winters allowing the birds to remain in continental Europe.
Joan Ruddock, Minister for Biodiversity says:
“The state of our wildlife is an indicator of the health of our environment and life itself. We can be proud of our efforts to slow and halt the decline of wildlife. More money is being spent, more people are volunteering for conservation and more woodland and farmland is managed for wildlife.
“Bats are integral to the environment and are a good indicator of the wildlife we often don’t see - such as the insects they feed on.”
Amy Coyte, Chief Executive of the Bat Conservation Trust says:
“Bats are an excellent indicator of the state of the natural environment. As our wildlife continues to struggle against many threats, it is vital to have indicators of whether current efforts are working. By adding bats to the suite of indicators, we will gain a greater understanding of how our wildlife is faring.”
* You will note many times the term “indicator” used within this piece. From the following page:
A suite of biodiversity indicators for the UK was first published in June 2007. The indicators show changes in aspects of biodiversity such as the population size of important species or the area of land managed for wildlife.
Further reading:
Fear of bats - as suffered by my late dad.
Let’s Talk About the ‘C’ Word: Shirley Siluk Gregory
Coral Adventure on East Africa Coast: A Safari to Kenya’s Reefs: Sam Aola Ooko
Defra’s Press Release regarding this story
Image credit: oddsock at Flickr under a Creative Commons license
