Year: 1986
Type: book
Abstract: National and international agencies, societies and individuals are increasingly \nseeking information on the current distribution and status of bats in Europe. \nThe stimulus to produce this report came in 1980 when the Environment and \nConsumer Protection Service of the Commission of the European Communities \n(EEC) requested information on the threatened flora and vertebrate \nfauna within the EEC. This was needed so that there could be a co-ordinated \napproach to the conservation of these biota. The EEC had become aware of \nits commitment to international conservation in 1979 when the Bern \nConvention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats \nwas published and presented by the Council of Europe to its 21 Member \nStates for signing and ratification. \nDespite one third of the indigenous terrestrial mammal species in Europe \nbeing bats, little is known of their detailed distribution and numbers. \nHowever, accumulation of knowledge has gathered momentum and, \nalthough much has been published, it is widely scattered, often in obscure \njournals. Brink in the early 1950s (1967) was one of the first to attempt a \ncompilation of distribution maps for the European bats and these have been \nreproduced many times. However, present knowledge is much improved \nand new maps are needed. \nThis report is an attempt to summarize the present status of bats in 27 \ncountries in western Europe and provides sources where more detailed \ninformation can be found. I hope it will also stimulate more systematic \nrecording and detailed ecological research, which are necessary to establish \nconservation requirements for each species. \nMany bats move between summer and winter roosts and these may be \nseparated by large distances. A few species have significant populations in \nEEC countries in winter (eg Vespertilio murinus) but in summer these bats \nform nursery colonies in north-east Europe, particularly in Poland and the \nUSSR. Thus, it is vital to consider the range and migrations of a species \nwhen preparing conservation strategies (Strelkov 1969; Roer 1971
Authors: R. E. Stebbings, Francesca Griffith
Language: English
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Life on land
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1579575574