Bats and their protection
All British bat species are fully protected under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010 and the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended). Bats and their roosts are protected by law, regardless weather the roost is occupied or not It is an offence to:
- Deliberately capture, injure, kill, disturb, posses, advertise, sell or exchange a bat, or part of a bat, dead or alive
- Intentionally or recklessly obstruct access to their roosts, even if there are no bats present
- Damage or destroy a roost
The legislation is relevant to anybody, however the below should pay particular notice:
- Property owners/householders who have a bat roost in their property
- Woodland owners, arboriculturalists and foresters H Pest controllers
- Planning officers and building surveyors
- Architects, builders and roofers, demolition companies and property developers.
What to do if you find a grounded bat:
If you find an injured or grounded bat, please call the Bat Helpline: 0345 1300 228 (calls are charged at local rate)
Our involvement with bats
We are active members of Derbyshire Bat Group and Herefordshire Mammal Group. This year we were privileged to assist DBG with their on-going project at a number of cave and mine systems in the Peak District National Park. Project licences are in place to allow harp rapping and mist netting. Not only is the project an important scientific study, but also a great way to interact, handle and observe bats up-close. We also assist with DBG's bat box checks during the autumn months.
Herefordshire Mammal Group is also active. We have been involved with both bat box checks and some dormouse monitoring. Next year, we will spend more time assisting Denise with a project that she is currently leading in Herefordshire.
Jersey 2017
David has wanted to see a grey long-eared bat, Plecotus austriacus, for some years now. This species of bat is restricted to the south of England and part of Wales. Next April (2017), we have arranged to visit Jersey Bat Group with a view of harp trapping for GLE bats, which are more common in the Channel Islands.
Fauna Forest Ecology are also involved with a number of local bat box schemes in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. We have bat boxes at two sites, which were erected in 2016. We also assist Morgan Hughes, chair of Brum Bats, with her bat box schemes at Rough Wood and Merrions Wood, Walsall, West Midlands.
David is a Natural England Voluntary Bat Roost Visitor. This role is purely voluntary for the love of bats, providing a great opportunity to visit roosts that are protected monitored by Natural England.