BESTLIFE2030 – SOS BATS@MAC

In late 2024, Madeira Fauna & Flora has started Project BESTLIFE2030 “SOS BATS@MAC”, a new project on the conservation of Pipistrelle bats in Macaronesia, namely the endangered Madeira Pipistrelle Pipistrellus maderensis. This project aims to assess this species important ecological requirements, such as selection of the feeding areas, flight corridors and roosts,  namely in the Azorean and Canarian archipelagos where information about these important volant mammals is scarce. The project will run between 2024 and 2027, for 30 months and will include actions in all three macaronesian archipelagos. During this time project team will collect baseline data on each of the target islands, using acoustic and thermal remote sensing  as well as radiotracking. This will allow to find out which areas, such as feeding areas and roosts, are important for these bats and the differences among islands. The diet of these bats and their contribution to pest control in forests and farmland will also be assessed. “SOS BATS@MAC” will also include capacitation actions for government technicians, farmers, tourism professionals, students or any members of civil society, namely using bat detectors to detect, identify and monitor bats. Government technicians and civil society volunteers will be trainned to monitor bats and provide lasting valuable data to governmental departments and to the future macaronesian bat monitoring scheme. To this end, the project will provide each Island authorities with bat detectors to monitor bats. At the end of the project, the first Macaronesian Action Plan for the Conservation of P. maderensis will be delivered to the authorities of all three archipelagos.