Shared responsibility for bat conservation
Bats (order Chiroptera) are an essential component of intact ecosystems. Nevertheless, their great importance for ecosystem and biophysical processes and functions is still underestimated. With over 1400 known species to date, they are the most species-rich group of mammals alongside rodents (order Rodentia) and thus contribute significantly to biodiversity, with new species being described frequently. The individual bat species have very different functions in ecosystems. Many of them can be described as so-called keystone species, as they represent crucial elements in the ecosystem due to their unique niches. They provide a wide range of ecological services worldwide in many different ways and thus contribute significantly to human well-being, both directly and indirectly (ecosystem services): through natural pest control (insectivores), pollination (flowering bats) and seed dispersal (fruit-eaters), they perform functions that have a high ecological and economic value.
Germany is home to 24 species. All native bats feed on insects or arthropods and are strictly protected. Some of them are highly endangered. Unsustainable land use in agriculture and forestry, chemical pesticides and also wind turbines are currently the greatest threats to the animals.
Furthermore, bats can serve as umbrella species in nature conservation. This means that by protecting bats, many other animals and plants that occur in the same habitat are also protected at the same time. Some bat species, such as the Bechstein’s bat, enjoy a special protection status: as they are listed in Annex II of the Flora-Fauna-Habitat Directive, protected areas must be designated for their conservation. In the case of the Bechstein’s bat, this means that old forests must be preserved, as this species is specifically dependent on old trees – and thus many other species that are also native to old forests are also protected.
Finally, due to their unique way of life and strategy, bats are not only very interesting, but also extremely important research objects, for example when it comes to new findings on the adaptation of mammals to increasing climatic changes. With bats as a successful model of evolution, many questions in the field of basic research and medical research (e.g. immunology) can also be answered.
Our working group
The German Bat Observatory is a working group of bat experts active throughout Germany, which has set itself the task of developing and communicating specialist information for bat protection and bat research. We want to support and promote sustainable, application-oriented and evidence-based bat conservation. We consider ourselves independent and not committed to any political, religious or commercial institution. We pay special attention to networking and cooperation with various scientific and conservation institutions. Furthermore, we would like to promote and support voluntary nature conservation work and leisure research in particular.
What we offer:
- Scientific advice, planning and assistance in applying for voluntary projects (e.g. monitoring)
- Mediation and communication between bat conservationists, scientific institutions, state authorities, clubs and associations – we are nationally and internationally networked
- Content support for meetings and conferences
- Technical comments on bat surveys, press releases, guidelines
- Conception and implementation of research projects, assistance in finding cooperation partners
- Education and tutorial events on specific topics (e.g. recording methods, evaluation and publication)
- Help with publications (scientific articles, press releases, web articles)
- and much more…
Publications
Scientific publications:
Articles:
Twort, V. G., Laine, V. N., Field, K. A., Whiting-Fawcett, F., Ito, F., Reiman, M.,T. Bartonicka, M. Fritze, V. A. Ilyukha, V. V. Belkin, E. A. Khizhkin, D. M. Reeder, D. Fukui, T. L. Jiang & Lilley, T. M. (2024). Signals of positive selection in genomes of palearctic Myotis-bats coexisting with a fungal pathogen. BMC genomics, 25(1), 828. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-024-10722-3
Knörnschild, M. (2024): Die Letzten ihrer Art | The Last of Their Kind. Nyctalus 20 (3-4), S. 279-289.
Starik, N., Gygax, L. & Göttert, T. (2024): Unexpected bat community changes along an urban–rural gradient in the Berlin–Brandenburg metropolitan area. Sci Rep 14, 10552. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-61317-7
Mathgen, X., Fritzsche, A., Arnold, A., Bach, L., Gager, Y., Harder, J., Knörnschild, M., Meyer, F., Porschien, B., Seebens-Hoyer, A., Starik, N., Straka, T., Fritze, M. (2024): Zeitenwende im Artenschutz – Aktuelle Gesetzesänderung versus wissenschaftliche Evidenzen beim Fledermausschutz und dem Ausbau der Windenergienutzung | Infliction points in species protection – current legislative changes versus scientific evidence in bat protection and the expansion of wind energy utilisation. Nyctalus 20 (3-4), S. 182-202. DOWNLOAD
Tovstukha, I., & Fritze, M., Kravchenko, K., Kovalov, V., Vlaschenko, A. (2024): Pilot study suggests cellular immunity changes in bats from urban landscapes. Submitted. https://dx.doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3836467/v1
Straka, Tanja M., Hilmer, C., Fritze, M., Starik, N., Buchholz, S. (2023): Catch me if you can – Urbane Klimatrends und deren Auswirkungen auf die winterliche Aktivität von Fledermäusen und Insekten. In: Stadtler, J: Biodiversität und Klima – Vernetzung der Akteure in Deutschland XVIII. BfN- Schriften 652.https://doi.org/10.19217/skr652
Fasel, N., Jeucken, J., Kravchenko, K., Fritze, M., Ruczynski, I., Komar, E., … & Holtze, S. (2023). No intromission is involved in the mating of Eptesicus serotinus, a novel copulatory pattern in mammals. Current Biology, 33(22), R1182-R1183. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2023.09.054
Blomberg, A. S., Lilley, T. M., Fritze, M., & Puechmaille, S. J. (2023). Climatic factors and host species composition at hibernation sites drive the incidence of bat fungal disease. bioRxiv, 2023-02.
Bergmann, A., Gloza-Rausch, F., Wimmer, B., Kugelschafter, K., Knörnschild, M. (2022): Similarities in social calls during autumn swarming may facilitate interspecific communication between Myotis bat species. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 10:950951. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2022.950951
Zschorn, M., Fritze, M. (2022): Lichtverschmutzung und Fledermausschutz – aktueller Kenntnisstand, Handlungsbedarf und Empfehlungen für die Praxis | Light pollution and bat conservation – current state of knowledge, need for action and recommendations for practice. Naturschutz und Landschaftsplanung, 54 (12). https://doi.org/10.1399/NuL.2022.12.01
Barré, K., Froidevaux, J. S. P., Leroux, C., Mariton, L., Fritze, M., Kerbiriou, C., Le Viol, I., Bas, Y., & Roemer, C. (2022): Over a decade of failure to implement UNEP/EUROBATS guidelines in wind energy planning: A call for action. Conservation Science and Practice, e12805. https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.12805
Starik, N., & Göttert, T. (2022): Bats adjust echolocation and social call design as a response to urban environments. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2022.939408
Niessen, L., Fritze, M., Wibbelt, G., Puechmaille, S.J. (2022): Development and application of loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assays for rapid diagnosis of the bat White-Nose Disease fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans. Mycopathologia, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-022-00650-9
Fritze, M. (2022): Current knowledge and long-term monitoring of white-nose disease in hibernating bats | Aktueller Wissensstand und langfristige Überwachung der Weißnasenkrankheit bei überwinternden Fledermäusen. Nyctalus 20(1).
Voigt, C.C., Dekker, J., Fritze, M., Gazaryan, S., Hölker, F., Jones, G., Lewanzik, D., Limpens, H.J.G.A., Mathews, F., Rydell, J., Spoelstra, K., Zagmajster, M. (2021): The impact of light pollution on bats varies according to foraging guild and habitat context. BioScience, biab087. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biab087
Röse, N., Sauerbier, W. Fritze, M. (2021): Langzeitdaten von Mikroklima und Mopsfledermäusen zeigen einen Effekt des Klimawandels in Fledermaus-Winterquartieren. Nyctalus (N.F.) 19 (4-5), S. 330-342. https://nyctalus.com/alle-hefte/band-19-heft-4-5/
Guidelines and Recommendations:
Deutsche Fledermauswarte, Bundesverband für Fledermauskunde Deutschland e.V., Berliner Artenschutzteam, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, Universität Greifswald, NABU Bundesfachausschuss Fledermäuse (2022): Informationsblatt Einheimische Fledermäuse und SARS-CoV 2 Version 2.0. https://www.deutsche-fledermauswarte.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Informationsblatt-SARS-CoV-2-und-Flederma%CC%88use-in-Deutschland-2.0.pdf
Deutsche Fledermauswarte, Bundesverband für Fledermauskunde Deutschland e. V., Fledermauszentrum Noctalis, Berliner Artenschutzteam e. V. (2020): Handlungsempfehlungen für die Arbeit mit Fledermäusen in Zeiten von SARS-CoV-2. https://www.deutsche-fledermauswarte.org/empfehlung-fledermausarbeiten-sars-/
EUROBATS: Recommendations of the EUROBATS Advisory Committee on potential risks of SARS-CoV-2 transmission from humans to bats. https://www.eurobats.org/node/2602
Fledermauszentrum Noctalis, Deutsche Fledermauswarte, Bundesverband für Fledermauskunde e. V., Leibniz-IZW Berlin, Leibniz Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung am Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, AG Angewandte Zoologie und Naturschutz der Universität Greifswald, NABU, Berliner Artenschutzteam e. V. (2020): Fact Sheet European bats and SARS-CoV 2. https://www.deutsche-fledermauswarte.org/bat-protection-in-the-corona-crisis/?lang=en
Fledermauszentrum Noctalis, Deutsche Fledermauswarte, Bundesverband für Fledermauskunde e. V., Leibniz-IZW Berlin, Leibniz Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung am Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, AG Angewandte Zoologie und Naturschutz der Universität Greifswald, NABU, Berliner Artenschutzteam e. V. (2020): Informationsblatt Einheimische Fledermäuse und SARS-CoV 2. https://www.deutsche-fledermauswarte.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Informationsblatt-Fledermaeuse-und-SARS-CoV-2.pdf
Voigt, C.C, Azam, C., Dekker, J., Ferguson, J., Fritze,M., Gazaryan, S., Hölker, F., Jones, G. Leader, N., Lewanzik, D., Limpens, H.J.G.A., Mathews, F., Rydell, J., Schofield, H., Spoelstra, K., Zagmajster, M. (2018): Guidelines for consideration of bats in lighting projects. EUROBATS Publication Series No. 8. UNEP/EUROBATS Secretariat, Bonn, Germany, 62 pp. https://eurobats.org/sites/default/files/documents/publications/publication_series/WEB_DIN_A4_EUROBATS_08_ENGL_NVK_28022019.pdf
Voigt, C.C, Azam, C., Dekker, J., Ferguson, J., Fritze,M., Gazaryan, S., Hölker, F., Jones, G. Leader, N., Lewanzik, D., Limpens, H.J.G.A., Mathews, F., Rydell, J., Schofield, H., Spoelstra, K., Zagmajster, M. (2018): Leitfaden für die Berücksichtigung von Fledermäusen bei Beleuchtungsprojekten. EUROBATS Publication Series No. 8. UNEP/EUROBATS Secretariat, Bonn, Germany, 62 pp. https://eurobats.org/sites/default/files/documents/publications/publication_series/EUROBATS_PS08_DE_RL_web_neu.pdf
Expert opinions, reports, miscellaneous:
Starik, N. (2021): Realisierung einer Licht-Ton-Schau in touristisch genutzten Bereichen der Höhle Heimkehle – Einschätzung zum geplanten Vorhaben aus Sicht des Fledermausschutzes
Fritze, M. (2021): Kleinabendsegleruntersuchung im NSG Eldena und NSG Wittenhagen im Rahmen des FFH-Monitorings in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Starik, N., Fritze, M. (2021): Handlungsempfehlung für eine ökologisch verträgliche Beleuchtung in ausgewählten Eingangs- und Innenbereichen der historischen Festungsanlage Zitadelle Spandau Berlin
Fritze, M. (2020): Mopsfledermausfledermausuntersuchung im Naturpark Feldberger Seenlandschaft
Fritze, M. (2020): Conflict Exploration: Wind turbines. Blog-Beitrag, https://medium.com/@ConservConflict/conflict-exploration-wind-turbines-407ed2affb46.
Starik, N., Fritze, M. (2019): Artenschutz am Gebäude (Vortrag zur Tagung “Die Stadt als Gebirge – Artenschutz am Gebäude”, Umweltbüro Lichtenberg, 30.09.2019 in Berlin)
EUROBATS (2019): Report of the Intersessional Working Group on Wind Turbines and Bat Populations, 24th Meeting of the Advisory Committee, Skopje, North Macedonia, 1 – 3 April 2019. https://www.eurobats.org/sites/default/files/documents/pdf/Advisory_Committee/Doc.AC24.5.Rev_.1.IWGBatsWindTurbines_0.pdf