Bat Surveys

Brown long-eared bat

The UK and Ireland are signatories to the Agreement on the Conservation of Populations of European Bats, under the auspices of the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), also known as the Bonn Convention. The Fundamental Obligations of Article 3 of this Agreement require the protection of all bats and their habitats, including the identification and protection from damage or disturbance of important feeding areas for bats. Where development is involved, a European Protected Species (EPS) license is required if the work is likely to affect a bat roost. In addition, some bat species (e.g. lesser horseshoe bat Rhinolophus hipposideros) are protected under Annex IV of the EU Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) and Appendix II of the Bern Convention as species requiring strict protection. It is also listed in Annex II of the Habitats Directive as a species requiring the designation of Special Areas of Conservation (SAC).

It is illegal to kill, injure, capture or disturb bats or obstruct access to, damage or destroy bat roosts. Under the law, a roost is any structure or place used for shelter or protection. Because bats tend to reuse the same roosts, the roost is protected whether it is occupied or unoccupied.

Bats use many roost sites and feeding areas throughout the year. Therefore, every building and mature tree is a potential bat roost. If evidence of bats, or roosts, are found, the relevant statutory conservation agency will have to be contacted. A license is required to continue building or demolition work. If buildings are to be demolished a replacement bat roost may have to be built first.

Aulino Wann & Associates can carry out the full range of bat surveys for all types of developments within the construction, retail, residential, agricultural, infrastructure, conservation and leisure sectors.

Surveys offered include:

  • Pre-survey desktop work– Bat roost data search– Appraisal of buildings, underground sites, bridges and trees for bat roost potential
  • Bat activity surveys (transects, point counts, automated surveys)
  • Presence and absence surveys (dusk emergence and pre-dawn re-entry surveys from trees and buildings, bat tracking surveys)
  • Roost characterization surveys (colony counts and access points, temperature and humidity regime, aspect and orientation of the roost, size and perching points)

Brown long-eared bat droppings

All impacts of developments on bats are assessed including:

  • Lighting;
  • Noise;
  • Disturbance or destruction of bat roosts by reroofing or demolition of buildings;
  • Toxic timber treatments.

Our surveys aim to understand how bats utilize the habitats within the development area so that the impact of the development on the local bat population can be assessed. We can then design appropriate impact mitigation strategies.

We use the most advanced up to date equipment for all our surveys including bat call analysis software, night vision equipment, infra-red cameras and remote and static bat detectors.

Best practice survey guidelines acceptable to the statutory nature conservation agencies produced for example by the Bat Conservation Trust UK are always followed.