Bats in Forests: Conservation and Management

Foreword

Today, many bat populations are only small remnants of former numbers . Prior to the arrival of European settlers in the United States, for example , millions of now endangered Indiana and gray myotis lived in single caves. Even species that are still considered common have, in fact, declined markedly. For example, in the 1870s great migratory flocks of eastern red bats were reported to pass over for days at a time during fall migration, a sight now vanished from American skies. Despite their decline and an increase in conservation concern, bats still rank among the world’s most neglected and misunderstood mammals . Few members of the public understand that the world’s more than 1,100 species play essential ecological roles in all but the most extreme desert and polar regions. Fewer still know that most of America’s 51 species rely on forests to varying degrees, either for food or shelter. In turn, forests nearly everywhere benefit from bats, probably much more than is realized. The most abundant bats inhabiting forests consume vast quantities of insects nightly, including costly “pests” such as moths and beetles. In short, the available evidence suggests that bats are essential to ecological balance and forest health, fulfilling the same roles by night as birds do by day. A variety of factors related to forest conditions have contributed to bat decline, including disturbance of hibernation and nursery caves in forests, loss of snags and major cavities in ancient trees, careless use of pesticides in forest settings, and early neglect of forest management. Forest bats often require loose, exfoliating bark and other cavities in extra tall trees that are dying or newly dead, and these are now scarce in many places. Bats also require alternative roosts in close proximity, in part because exfoliating bark and old snags are ephemeral in nature, and in part because they must find varied temperatures and avoid predators. Management practices that ensure age diversity of trees, retain snags and damaged trees, and aid plant diversity can greatly benefit bat populations . When forests become monocultures, bats and other insectivorous animals encounter unfavorable conditions such as prey cycles that produce fewer species of insects and longer gaps between hatch cycles. The eventual explosions of these insects then results in their designation as major forest pests. Both forests and bats are more secure when structural , floral, and faunal diversity are maintained. For these reasons, the FOREWORD growing collaboration between bat biologists and forestry agencies and industries is a wise investment. In this book, America’s leading experts on bats collaborated to produce an extraordinarily comprehensive review of current knowledge that is the best available anywhere. Both the volume editors and chapter authors are unsurpassed in their respective areas. Twenty-seven authors have contributed eleven chapters of up-to-date research and review that is a must read for anyone interested in either bats or forest management. Merlin D. Tuttle x Foreword ...