Important Meetings in 2007

The Newsletter of the Agreement on the Conservation of Populations of European Bats

Eurobat Chat

 

No. 12 / October 2007

The EUROBATS Secretariat is pleased to inform you about the 1^st Meeting of the Standing Committee in March and the 12^th Meeting of the Advisory Committee in May 2007. The Meeting of the Standing Committee was the first EUROBATS Meeting at the new UN Campus in Bonn, Germany. The Committee was established at the 5th Session of the Meeting of the Parties (MoP 5) to deal with administrative and financial matters and to redesign the Advisory Committee to concentrate on scientific issues.

Among other tasks, the Standing Committee (StC) monitors the execution of the Secretariat’s budget, oversees the implementation of policy decisions and provides advice to the Secretariat on the preparation of meetings. It consists of representatives from seven Parties, including the Depositary, the Host Government of the Secretariat and five more members, who shall be elected at each MoP with due regard to geographical distribution. Other Parties may attend meetings and participate in discussions, but may not vote. Additionally the Chair may request the Secretariat to invite any person or organization to participate in meetings of the Committee as observers when their presence is judged useful for the accomplishment of its tasks.

At the first meeting in Bonn on 27 March 2007, France was elected as Chair and the Ukraine as Vice-Chair of the Committee. A major part of the meeting was dedicated to the development of the 24 Rules of Procedure which regulate e.g. the general functions of the Committee, elections, meetings and communication. Furthermore, the Secretariat presented and explained its Reports on Income and Expenditure. The Committee was pleased to take note of the good budget performance and the stable financial situation of the Agreement. Moreover, Resolution 5.7 “Guidelines for the Protection of Overground Roosts with particular Reference to Roosts in Buildings of Cultural Heritage Importance” as well as Resolution 5.6 “Climate Change in conjunction with Bat Populations and Wind Turbines” were conveyed to the Advisory Committee as priorities. The development of a mechanism to monitor the implementation of Resolutions was put on the agenda for the period until the next MoP in 2010. In addition, the CMS Secretariat suggested postponing the planned Year of the Bat from 2008 to 2011 for a variety of reasons. Meeting general sympathy, this proposal was endorsed by the Committee. Finally, the Committee decided to assess in January 2008 if and when a meeting was needed.

The 12^th Meeting of the Advisory Committee (AC) took place in Budapest, Hungary, from 7-8 May 2007. Mr. Peter Lina and Ms. Luisa Rodrigues were re-elected as Chair respectively Vice Chair. Thanks to the establishment of the Standing Committee the Committee could concentrate on the reports of the 13 Intersessional Working Groups (IWGs), which were partly re-established and partly newly convened at the Meeting.

The IWGs worked on different bat conservation issues like Bat Migration and Light Pollution in order to implement the work programme resulting from the resolutions adopted at MOP 5. The results of all the IWGs are summarized below; for more detailed information please have a look at the Record and the Documents of the Meeting.

The 13^th Meeting of the Advisory Committee will take place in Cluj, Romania, 23-24 August 2008.

IWG on Transboundary Programme Habitats – Data Compilation

There are two parts of this project: The first one the database on important underground sites, and the second one the publication of the guidelines on protection and management of underground sites for bats. The relating database is continued to be updated in line with Resolution 5.10 “Implementation of the Conservation and Management Plan 2007-2010”, whereas the work on the guidelines has been finalized in the meanwhile: effective immediately the guidelines are available free of charge from the Secretariat.

IWG on Producing Guidelines on Bat Monitoring Methods to Assess Population Trends at Different Levels

The IWG reported about the progress with drafting the guidelines which will soon be completed and circulated for adoption at AC 13. There was also a discussion about the implementation of Resolution 5.4 “Monitoring Bats Across Europe”, with reference to the Pan-European Project on monitoring underground sites. To develop the project a feasibility study was recommended to be carried out.

IWG on Bat Conservation and Sustainable Forest Management

The high-level guidelines drafted at AC 11 should be used to develop national guidelines to suit particular forest types and forestry administrative practices. The IWG agreed that a leaflet would be the best way to publicise the guidelines. It should illustrate forest-dependent bats, bat roosts in trees and forest types showing examples of good practice. The Parties are encouraged to translate the guidelines into their language.

IWG on Bat Migration

The work plan of the IWG was accepted and covers: 1. identification; 2. analysis of available information on long-distance migrants regarding timing and distribution of migration; 3. data collection on migration routes; and 4. finding gaps in knowledge and needs for future research.

IWG on Autecological Studies for Priority Species

The IWG revised a questionnaire on roost choice by the three species of priority (Rhinolophus euryale, Myotis capaccinii and Miniopterus schreibersii) which should be circulated by the Secretariat. It was decided that references of relevant literature will be collected.

IWG on Protection of Overground Roosts

Besides natural sites like trees bats regularly use man-made structures as overground roosts across Europe like bridges, castles, churches, houses, blocks of flats, barns and stables. In its report the IWG summarised the results from the overground roost questionnaire, provided an overview of suitable protective measures, and explored the interactions between bats and buildings of cultural heritage importance.

The IWG emphasised the need for extending the geographical scope of the report; also private houses as important bat roots should be included. The work of the IWG should be completed by early 2008.

IWG on Impact on Bat Populations of the Use of Anti-Parasitic Drugs for Livestock

Since 2004 the IWG has been studying the connection between residues of anti-parasitic drugs in livestock dung, their adverse effect on dung insects and the dependency of bats on these insects. Amongst others, the IWG found out current anti-parasitic drug practices throughout Europe via a questionnaire, identified the bat species most likely to be affected by the use of the drugs and developed possible mechanisms to reduce the impact on insects and bats.

The final report and a draft resolution for the next MoP in 2010 will be available in the course of 2008.

IWG on Wind Turbines and Bat Populations

The guidelines on wind turbines and bat populations were adopted at MoP5 and have to be kept updated. Therefore the IWG will furthermore collect data on bats and wind turbines and make comments on missing issues in the guidelines.

The EUROBATS Publication Series No. 3 “Wind turbines and bats: Guidelines for the planning process and impact assessments” will be circulated by early 2008.

IWG on Conservation and Management of Critical Feeding Areas and Commuting Routes

The IWG continues to work on the guidance for national guidelines for bat habitat conservation, but still needs some time for further deliberations within the group. In the next AC Meeting in 2008 it will present a first draft of the guidance.

IWG on Bats as Indicators

It was suggested that bats had potential to act as Pan-European indicators for the 2010 targets, however, a lot more resources are required to develop them. The SEBI2010 (Streamlining European 2010 Biodiversity Indicators) panel recognised that the information for bats on a European-wide level was either not collated, or appropriate monitoring systems were not in place, and the resources required for these needed to be developed further. The IWG went through the list of headline CBD (Convention on Biological Diversity) bio-indicators and discussed the value and the feasibility of using bats to complement existing categorizations. The group suggested the importance of information and raising awareness across Europe for bats as bio-indicators.

It will collate available information for next AC Meeting to make a case to the CBD for including bats as bio-indicators in the long-term beyond 2010 targets and it will discuss its intentions with CBD to support the development and funding of bats as indicators.

IWG on Impact of Roads and Other Traffic Infrastructures on Bats

The IWG was newly established at the Meeting and will present its first report at AC 13. Amongst others, it will prepare and circulate a questionnaire, collect and review the different studies, scientific literature and impact assessment reports available on bat mortality and habitat fragmentation relating to roads, railways etc. and it will produce general guidelines to raise awareness on the impact of traffic infrastructures on bats. Furthermore the IWG will prepare a resolution in order to take into account bats in impact assessments of all traffic infrastructures.

IWG on Light Pollution

Floodlighted buildings like old churches and bridges or extensive lighting along roadsides can have a harmful impact on bat species. The new IWG will therefore work on three main areas: 1) Interaction with feeding activity, including prey distribution and intra bat species competition; 2) (In)direct effects on roosts; 3) Effects on commuting, e.g. barrier function of lit roads and fragmentation of the night landscape. A draft of assessment of critical points will be available by AC 13.

IWG on 2011 Year of the Bat

The IWG endorsed the proposal for 2011 to be the “Year of the Bat” – an event primarily under the auspices of UNEP/CMS. The IWG will develop ideas for special activities in 2011 and will have its first regular meeting in 2008, e.g. at the next AC Meeting.

Participants of the 12th Meeting of the Advisory Committee in Budapest

1st Meeting of the Standing Committee in Bonn; from left to right: Andreas Streit (Executive Secretary), Michel Perret (Chair of the StC), Peter Lina (Chair of the AC)

12^th Meeting of the Advisory Committee – back to the scientific roots

1^st Meeting of the Standing Committee – administration on a new level