European Bat Night
Encyclopedia
The European Bat Night is a popular, annual event to draw public awareness to menaced bat populations in Europe. It is hosted by local nature conservation organisations and attracts a number of ecologically interested people, families, and children. Depending on the local contributors, there are species exhibitions, presentations, workshops for constructing bat houses, and bat walks at night time.
History
The first European Bat Nights were arranged in the 1990s in Poland and France. Since 1997 the Bat Night is organised under the auspices of the Agreement on the Conservation of Populations of European Bats (EUROBATS). Today the event takes place in several cities and regions in more than 30 countries throughout Europe. It is traditionally held on the last weekend of August, but the definite choice of the date is left to the organisers.Aim of the Event
Bat conservation requires effective publicity as well as the cooperation of private persons, because bats often breed and hibernate in houses, churches and other buildings used by people. The European Bat Night aims to break down the barriers between humans and bats by passing on information about the way bats live and their needs.See also
- BatBatBats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
- EUROBATSAgreement on the Conservation of Populations of European Bats (UNEP/EUROBATS)The Agreement on the Conservation of Populations of European Bats is an international treaty that binds the Parties on the conservation of bats in their territories. It was set up in 1991 under the auspices of the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals , also known as “Bonn Convention”...
- The Bat Conservation TrustThe Bat Conservation TrustThe Bat Conservation Trust is a British charity dedicated to the conservation of bats and their habitats in the UK. BCT was formed in 1990 and is the only national organisation solely devoted to bats...
- Bat Conservation InternationalBat Conservation InternationalBat Conservation International is an international non-governmental organization working to conserve the world’s bats and their habitats through conservation, education and research efforts....