Applicant: Bath & North East Somerset Council
Location: Bath and North East Somerset & South Gloucestershire
HLF grant: £178,500
Total project cost: £284,394
Grant programme: Heritage Grants
Aims
To counteract a steep decline in numbers of Horseshoe Bats, an endangered species (it is both a UK and local Priority Species). To increase the amount of suitable habitat for the bats in the long term, and at the same time to train volunteers in hands-on conservation work and to enable people to learn about and enjoy their natural heritage.
‘We aimed for 12 volunteer bat wardens, but there are 50 now. They’re from all backgrounds, and the age range is great, from twenties to seventies. We have also had a very good response from farmers, who have been happy to have volunteers involved in work like hedgerow planting.’
Dan Merrett, Batscapes Project Officer
‘I have really enjoyed the bat training sessions, learnt a lot and would like to help with future surveys.’
Project participant
Background
The past 30 years have seen a steep decline in numbers of Horseshoe bats, to the point where the species is facing extinction in parts of the UK. Bath & North East Somerset and south Gloucestershire are home to internationally important roost sites for Horseshoe bats, where the species was considered to stand a chance of making a sustained comeback. A partnership led by Bath and North East Somerset Council sought HLF funding for the Batscapes project. This set out to monitor Horseshoe bat populations and to identify local places where, with suitable land management, the species could thrive. The partnership wanted to encourage people of all ages and backgrounds to become actively involved in the project.
What did the project involve?
A full-time Project Officer and two seconded part-time Field Officers were appointed for a three-year term. The Field Officers were responsible for liaising with local landowners and farmers, whose support was essential for creating long-term, large-scale improvements in wildlife habitat. The Project Officer generated support in the community by contacting local voluntary groups and schools, and through free public events like ‘walk-and-talk’ tours of wildlife sites.
Practical land-management activities focused on the hedgerows, woodland edges and traditional grazed farmland that favour Horseshoe bats. People’s involvement in the project was organised with a clear structure, based on a network of existing ‘Bat Groups’ in the area and newly appointed volunteer Parish Bat Wardens, so that the momentum could continue after HLF funding finished at the end of the third year.
Training and equipment for volunteers were funded, as well as materials for visitors to wildlife sites. For example, audioguide CDs and bat-detectors with information in Braille were supplied for night-time bat trails organised with the RNIB. The HLF grant also contributed to the cost of creating wheelchair access to a woodland nature reserve, and to general information and publicity about the project.
What difference did the project make?
According to recent surveys, Batscapes has contributed to a marked increase in the region’s Horseshoe bat population. The project has met with a very positive response, both from farmers and from the many people who got involved in one way or another. Whereas the original aim was to involve 2000 people directly in the project, the final total was more than 3000. They included members of Freeways Group, a Bristol-based organisation for adults with learning difficulties, 15 school groups, and 50 volunteer Bat Wardens (the original target was 12).
Farmers in the region have given a broad welcome to the move to encourage a return to a more traditional type of farmed landscape, bringing benefits for many species as well as bats. The project has reached some 3000 hectares, consisting of numerous land-holdings, in key Horseshoe bat areas. Feedback from people’s observations of bats and other wildlife at many different sites has provided detailed data that will be invaluable for future conservation work.
How did the project meet our criteria?
By helping to protect an endangered species, and by bringing areas of farmland back to more wildlife-friendly forms of management, the project conserves and enhances our heritage.
Through talks, guided tours, audioguides, newsletters and group activities, it has enabled people to learn about and enjoy their heritage. It has also been successful in enabling people to have access to their heritage, including the activities organised with the RNIB or Freeways Group for people who might otherwise have difficulty getting access to heritage.
The project encouraged more people to be involved in their heritage by taking its message to community groups, schools, local landowners and the general public. Through volunteering for surveys and nature conservation work, people felt that they were making a real difference and have wanted to stay involved in the project in the long term.
Useful tips
Project Officer Dan Merrett comments:
• There is a real demand for rewarding voluntary work, so think big – involve as many groups as you can in your project.
• Partnership is important, both for bringing different skills to your project and for reaching the right people. For example, we provided training for staff at DEFRA (one of our partner organisations), who were then able to explain the project to the farmers they visited regularly.
• People are attracted by the idea of something new. Most people have a fairly basic idea about bats, but because we presented them in a new way and encouraged greater understanding, we found that people were getting involved in Batscapes who had not done anything like this before.
Contact details
Dan Merrett
Batscapes Project Officer
Bath and North East Somerset
01225 477619
Dan_Merrett@bathnes.gov.uk