Pipistrelle bats increase in Scotland

Bat surveys have found that soprano pipistrelle and Daubenton’s bat populations have been stable since 1999, but the common pipistrelle population is estimated to have increased by around 79% since 2009. The statistics were commissioned by SNH and calculated by the Bat Conservation Trust using data from the National Bat Monitoring Programme.

In the UK, the decline in bat populations has meant all species are legally protected from harm. Bats are still threatened from building and development work, loss of habitat and other factors.

The common pipistrelle is found throughout the UK. A single pipistrelle can consume up to 3,000 midges in one night. It is one of the smallest British bat species and is found in many habitats, including woodland edge, hedgerows, tree lines, gardens, parks and, like many other bats, near open water where there are abundant insects. .

The common pipistrelle population has also been increasing across Great Britain as a whole since 2009. Contributing factors to this increase are likely the legal protection for bats, fewer roost losses due to development, and less harmful timber treatment chemicals in roof voids from the 1990s onwards.

Robert Raynor, SNH’s mammal expert, commented:

“Although this is certainly good news, many threats still exist for bats. There are nine or ten species of bat in Scotland, and we still need to improve our survey coverage so we can better understand what is happening with their numbers – not just the most common three.

“Everyone can play their part to help encourage healthy bat populations. Bat boxes can provide safe roosts, as will letting bats make use of your roof for the part of year. Planting your garden with flowering plants, trees and shrubs that attract insects can also help.”

Anne Youngman, Bat Conservation Trust Scottish officer, added:

“We’d like to say a huge thank you to all the volunteers taking part in this citizen science project across Scotland. We really appreciate them for donating their time to help us find out how Scottish bats are doing. We are delighted to be able to show that their hard work and dedication allows us to produce a positive picture for the population of common pipistrelle. It’s difficult to say why common pipistrelle appear to be recovering from the large historical decline. It’s really important that we encourage even more volunteers to help us continue and expand our monitoring efforts so that we can see how bats are faring over the coming years. So, if you enjoy being out of doors and would like to find out more about bats then do sign up to the National Bat Monitoring programme ; it’s fun , it’s different and it’s important.”

Bats play an important role: not only do they help control insects, but they can also show us how healthy our habitats are as whole. If bats are doing well, it’s more likely plants and insect populations are also thriving.

Bats are long-lived, intelligent, have complex social lives, and are the only mammals capable of powered flight. While flying, bats emit a series of high-pitched sounds and listen to the returning echoes to produce a sound picture of their surroundings. This is known as echolocation and it allows them to both avoid obstacles while flying, and catch tiny insects, even in complete darkness.

Nine or ten bat species occur in Scotland, five of which are considered to be common or widespread (common pipistrelle, soprano pipistrelle, Daubenton’s bat, brown long-eared bat, and Natterer’s bat). The remainder are considered rare and/or range-restricted All bats and their roosts are legally protected in Scotland.

The survey results are part of the National Bat Monitoring Programme (NBMP) run by BCT, which uses data from four different types of annual survey (roost counts, hibernation surveys, field surveys and waterway surveys) to provide trends across Great Britain. For more information, see Trends of Bats in Scotland at www.snh.gov.uk/docs/A1759538.pdf

ENDS

Media queries: For more information, contact SNH press & public relations officers for Scottish Natural Heritage, Vicki Mowat on 0131 316 2659 or vicki.mowat@snh.gov.uk (Tues-Fri), or the main SNH press office on 01463 725 022.