About the Project
Bats play an important role in many habitats around the world. Some plants depend partly or entirely on certain bat species for pollination and seed dispersal. Bats also play a crucial ecological role in controlling populations of invertebrates, including moths, flies, beetles, spiders, and various flightless insects.
Previous projects in Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, and Ukraine have shown that, due to limited environmental awareness within local communities, entire bat colonies can often be destroyed. With the support of the VGP Foundation, NABU will expand its efforts to protect bats by developing educational activities aimed at religious audiences, which have significant influence in the region, as well as other members of local communities. Through the implementation of these activities, the project will also create and improve opportunities for bat colonies to estblish themselves, while enhancing living conditions for existing colonies and other species that share these ecosystems in church towers and the attics of public buildings.
In cooperation with professional ecologists, NABU will develop a geographical framework for the project’s expansion and create methodological materials to support effective environmental education on bat conservation. Ultimately, at least 40 colonies of different bat species and associated wildlife will be protected through the implementation of at least 10 practical conservation measures.
Photos © IERS/NABU
