Bats
There are 18 species of bat within the UK, however only 17 of these species are proven to breed within the country. When not in flight, all species of British bat can fit in the palm of an adult person. Bats cannot make their own roosting sites and rely on gaps and cracks in existing structures such as trees, bridges and buildings. A bat is highly unlikely to stay in the same roost site throughout the year, they usually move roost locations in broad accordance with the change in seasons. However, they are highly faithful to any roost locations and will usually return year on year to a roost during their life time.
Services
Ecological Services Ltd can offer a range of surveys where there are potential impacts to bats. We are licensed to undertake a wide range of surveys for bats and help design and implement a variety of mitigation strategies to suit our clients requirements. Some examples of surveys we can provide are:
Preliminary Roost Assessment (sometimes called a bat scoping survey)
Bat Activity Surveys
Bat Hibernation Surveys
Bat Transect Surveys
Bat Tree Assessment
Bat Climbing Assessment
Bat Licence Work
Legislation
All British bats are a European protected species and are protected under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulation 2017. In summary, they are protected from:
Deliberate capture, killing and injuring,
Deliberate disturbance of a breeding site or resting place,
Damage or destruction of a breeding site or resting place.
Schedule 5 of The Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981) also protects all species of British bat and their roosting locations. British bats are protected from intentional or reckless disturbance and or obstruction of their roosting places. Barbastelle, bechstein, noctule, brown long eared, common pipistrelle, soprano pipistrelle, greater horseshoe and lesser horseshoe bats are also listed in section 7 of the Environment (Wales) Act 2016 which makes them a key species to sustain and improve biodiversity.
Our Services
