Wildlife

UK Natterer's Bat and Woodland Conservation

Conservation of Natterer's bat in UK woodland and barn roosts and its foraging habitat needs.

Key Facts

Natterer's bats are medium-sized bats associated with woodland and old buildings
They are specialists in gleaning insects from vegetation surfaces
Old buildings and barns provide essential maternity and hibernation roost sites
Woodland with structural diversity supports the invertebrate prey base
Natterer's bats have sophisticated echolocation for detecting prey on surfaces

Welfare Considerations

Natterer's bats depend on structurally diverse woodland and old building roost sites, with both woodland management and building conservation delivering welfare benefits.

What You Can Do

Support Wildlife Trust woodland management programmes
Install bat boxes suitable for Natterer's bats in woodland settings
Advocate for old barn and building retention with bat roost surveys