Monitoring Bats

The monitoring of this order of Mammals is carried out in various sectors of the Authority, Parks, Special Conservation Areas, and Special Protection Areas with the following objectives:

    • Long-term monitoring of bat species and trend calculations. 
    • Collection of qualitative and semi-quantitative information on bat fauna.
    • Improvement of knowledge on the geographical and altitudinal distribution of different systematic groups.
    • Identification of frequented habitats.
    • Search for rare species.

The chosen monitoring technique is bioacoustic research, an increasingly used methodology in the study of bats, which allows for species identification through the analysis of their ultrasonic emissions.
Currently, the Area for Conservation and Biodiversity Management has 5 recorders: they are all modern and reliable instruments that allow for high-quality recordings.

The use of Bat Detectors guarantees a non-invasive monitoring method, allowing the study of populations without interfering with the animals' natural behavior, and is effective, with a high capacity for identification: thanks to advanced software, it is possible to accurately determine the species present and their behavior.

In 2024, monitoring will include the use of automatic bat detectors positioned at fixed points. Recordings have been scheduled to last for an entire night cycle, from half an hour before sunset to half an hour after dawn, in order to capture both the most crepuscular species and those active during the central hours of the night.
A series of stations have been identified in the various ZSC-ZPS that, in some cases, have been the subject of repeated recordings at different stages of the summer season according to the following protocol:

Annual repetitions vary based on altitude:
    • < 1500 m a.s.l.: 3 repetitions (May, July, late August/early September) 
    • > 1500 m a.s.l.: 2 repetitions (July, late August/early September)

The collected data provides essential information for the conservation of species and environmental management.

Contact people

Luca Maurino - Conservation and Management of Biodiversity - maurino@alpicozie.eu

Collaborations

BatEchoNetwork Project (Participatory network for the determination of bats in the North West), which aims to contribute to the monitoring and determination of bats in the North-West of Italy.