7th August 2024
You may have come across an article in The Spectator called ‘Beware the bat police’ published 3 August 2024. Two premises drive the article’s negative tone: that ecological consultants are pointless and that bats are over-protected. Here we respond to those ideas.
Are bats over-protected?
It is true that “some UK bat populations have been stable or recovering since 1999”. But the UK’s 18 bat species all suffered severe historic declines before that baseline date, and they are all still recovering.
A major part of BCT’s work is to monitor bat species to provide data used by government and other organisations. We rely on the hard work of hundreds of citizen scientists and volunteers to get the data we need.
We monitor 11 bat species, and we are science-led when we say bats need protection. Out of the 11 mammals at risk of extinction in the UK, four are bats. And we now know that at least one species, the barbastelle, has declined by 99% over several hundred years.
Do wildlife laws prevent enough houses being built?
Our natural heritage does not need to be sacrificed to achieve economic growth. BCT welcomes the opportunity to have a constructive dialogue in order support the new government’s aim of a “strong economy and environment this country needs and deserves.”
Wildlife laws are often presented in the media as being unnecessary ‘red tape’ that prevents sensible development. But a 2019 cross-party Red Tape Initiative report on planning regulations highlighted that wildlife laws are not a hindrance to planning and development. Rather, delays can happen due to how the planning process is implemented.
Since then, BCT and many other organisations have worked to make the planning process easier while maintaining bat populations. BCT works closely with government, industry, developers, and other organisation to find solutions to any perceived clashes between wildlife and humans. Most developers want to do what’s best for the UK’s natural heritage.
The Our Shared Nature report published by the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) in January 2024 outlines how explicitly incorporating nature into planning can also improve the health and wellbeing for people. We share the TCPA call for a more strategic approach to building well located and designed affordable homes that are sustainable and nature friendly.
Ecological consultants and surveys
The article mentions that more than one survey was needed to ascertain if bats were present. This isn’t as strange as was made out. It is true of many animals that use different locations by day and night, or in winter or summer. It is also true of humans - if you surveyed a load of office buildings at night you might assume no one uses them. And the case mentioned in the Spectator article bears this out: it did take the second survey to show two species of protected bats were present.
Of course, BCT doesn’t supervise, accredit or sanction ecological consultants. We do provide training and guidance. If anyone believes an ecological consultant they have hired has not done a good job, they can raise their concern with the appropriate professional body.
