16 May 2006
Joining forces to take action for bats
Action for Wildlife: the Dartmoor Biodiversity Project has just completed its second year of work to benefit greater horseshoe bats. The greater horseshoe bat is a UK and Dartmoor Biodiversity Action Plan species because it has suffered a serious decline over recent decades and action needs to be taken to halt and reverse this decline.
Project work began following a radio-tracking survey of greater horseshoe bats, which roost in caves near Buckfastleigh, to discover where the bats fly to feed. This is the largest known breeding roost in the UK and is of huge conservation importance. The survey was commissioned by English Nature and took place in 2003. The bats were found to be using the area of farmland within the triangle between Buckfastleigh, Dartmeet and Widecombe-in-the-Moor, with the area between Buckfastleigh and Holne being of prime significance.
In 2004 and 2005, English Nature provided funding to the Action for Wildlife Project, enabling officers to advise and assist landowners in the crucial foraging area. Following a seminar in 2004, which was attended by 60 farmers and land advisors, visits have been made to 26 properties.
For each property, Action for Wildlife has completed a detailed report highlighting existing bat-friendly features and indicating where further habitat improvements could be made. Typical enhancements include altering hedgerow management so that they are not trimmed annually (particularly on the top), and planting hedgerow trees. Tall hedgerows with full grown trees provide better cover for bats as the fly around the countryside, protecting them from predation and disturbance.
Also of crucial importance are cattle-grazed pasture and haymeadows, particularly wildflower-rich meadows which support high numbers of insects. Cattle-grazed areas are especially important in summer, because the associated dung beetles form an important prey species for newly-weaned juvenile bats as well as their parents.
Through agri-environment schemes (including the newly launched Environmental Stewardship Scheme), farmers can receive financial support enabling them to adapt their management to aid greater horseshoe bats and other wildlife dependant on farmland. This is already happening at a number of the farms visited during the project.
Putting habitat advice into practice, Action for Wildlife organised a day in early March, planting trees in hedgerows to provide benefits for bats and other wildlife. Staff from Action for Wildlife’s partner organisations, including English Nature, Dartmoor National Park Authority, Rural Development Service, and the Environment Agency, all came along to plant about 130 trees in hedgerows on five farms around Scoriton, in the heart of the bat foraging area. The trees were supplied by Dartmoor National Park Authority’s Amenity Tree Planting Scheme. They will be allowed to grow to maturity, providing continuous, sheltered flight corridors for bats, even when the rest of the hedgerow is cut during management. They will also benefit a range of wildlife and will have a positive influence on the visual landscape of the area.
Action for Wildlife Officer, Frances Cooper, said:
'Greater horseshoe bats rely on farmed habitats to find food. Linear features such as tall hedgerows and wooded watercourses provide them with cover which is important because they avoid open areas and instead prefer to fly along well-grown, bushy hedgerows. Such flight corridors are essential in connecting bat foraging areas across the landscape. Many farmers and land managers are proud that their land supports these special creatures. It is fantastic that they are adjusting their management to make their land even better for bats.'
Project work will continue in 2006, focusing on the bats’ critically important feeding areas. For further information, contact Action for Wildlife on 01626 831027.
Ends
For Further Information
Frances Cooper, Project Officer, Action for Wildlife – The Dartmoor Biodiversity Project. Tel (01626) 831027
Angie Squires, Assistant Project Officer, Action for Wildlife – The Dartmoor Biodiversity Project (01626) 831072
Notes for Editors
Action for Wildlife (external link, opens new window) was launched in September 2001. It followed on from the highly successful pilot Dart Biodiversity Project. Action for Wildlife is managed by Dartmoor National Park Authority on behalf of a steering group of funding partners including; Dartmoor National Park Authority, English Nature, the Environment Agency and the Duchy of Cornwall. The project is supported by the Rural Development Service.
The overall aim of Action for Wildlife is to ‘maintain and enhance the wildlife resource of Dartmoor’ by helping people who live and work on Dartmoor to carry out practical action on the ground. The project focuses on key habitats and species identified in the Dartmoor Biodiversity Action Plan.
Action for Wildlife – The Dartmoor Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP)
The Dartmoor Biodiversity Action Plan has been produced by the Dartmoor National Park Authority, with financial assistance from English Nature, on behalf of the Dartmoor Biodiversity Steering Group. It outlines the objectives, targets and actions considered necessary to protect and enhance the wildlife heritage of Dartmoor. It is a companion document to The Nature of Dartmoor: A Biodiversity Profile (published by the Dartmoor National Park Authority and English Nature), which describes the wildlife resource of Dartmoor, identifies key species and habitats and sets key conservation objectives.
Return to Dartmoor National Park Authority Partnership Project News Releases
This page last updated 16 May 2006
