2.5.1 Hunting

Unknown effectiveness

Inform local communities about disease risks from hunting and eating bat meat to reduce killing of bats

1One study evaluated the effects of informing local communities about disease risks from hunting and eating bat meat to reduce killing of bats on bat populations. The study was in Ghana.

2COMMUNITY RESPONSE (0 STUDIES)

3POPULATION RESPONSE (0 STUDIES)

4BEHAVIOUR (1 STUDY)

5Behaviour change (1 study): One before-and-after study in Ghana found that fewer hunters intended to hunt bats in future after they were provided with education about the risks of diseases carried by bats.

6Assessment: unknown effectiveness (effectiveness 50 %; certainty 25 %; harms 0 %).

7https://www.conservationevidence.com/actions/1974

Inform local communities about the negative impacts of bat hunting to reduce killing of bats

8One study evaluated the effects of informing local communities about the negative impacts of bat hunting to reduce killing of bats on bat populations. The study was in Ghana.

9COMMUNITY RESPONSE (0 STUDIES)

10POPULATION RESPONSE (0 STUDIES)

11BEHAVIOUR (1 STUDY)

12Behaviour change (1 study): One before-and-after study in Ghana found that after providing education about the ecological roles of bats fewer hunters intended to hunt bats in the future.

13Assessment: unknown effectiveness (effectiveness 50 %; certainty 20 %; harms 0 %).

14https://www.conservationevidence.com/actions/1973

No evidence found (no assessment)

15We have captured no evidence for the following interventions:

• Encourage online vendors to remove bat specimens for sale
• Enforce regulations to prevent trafficking and trade of bats
• Introduce alternative treatments to reduce the use of bats in traditional medicine
• Introduce and enforce legislation to control hunting of bats
• Introduce other food sources to replace bat meat
• Introduce other income sources to replace bat trade
• Replace culling of bats with non-lethal methods of preventing vampire bats from spreading rabies to humans
• Restrict the collection of bat specimens for research
• Strengthen cultural traditions that discourage bat harvesting.

2.5.2 Guano harvesting

No evidence found (no assessment)

16We have captured no evidence for the following interventions:

• Introduce and enforce legislation to regulate harvesting of bat guano.

2.5.3 Logging and wood harvesting

Likely to be beneficial

Retain forested corridors in logged areas

17Three studies evaluated the effects of retaining forested corridors in logged areas on bat populations. The three studies were in the USA.

18COMMUNITY RESPONSE (0 STUDIES)

19POPULATION RESPONSE (1 STUDY)

20Abundance (1 studies): One replicated, site comparison study in the USA found that bat activity (relative abundance) was significantly higher along the edges of forested corridors than in corridor interiors or in adjacent logged stands, which had similar activity levels.

21BEHAVIOUR (2 STUDIES)

22Use (2 studies): One replicated, site comparison study in the USA found more Seminole bats roosting in forested corridors than logged stands or mature forest. One replicated, site comparison study in the USA found more male but fewer female evening bats roosting in forested corridors than logged stands. Assessment: likely to be beneficial (effectiveness 55 %; certainty 40 %; harms 0 %).

23https://www.conservationevidence.com/actions/996

Thin trees within forest and woodland

24Eleven studies evaluated the effects of thinning trees within forest and woodland on bat populations. Six studies were in the USA, one study was in Canada, and four were in Australia.

25COMMUNITY RESPONSE (2 STUDIES)

26Richness/diversity (2 studies): One replicated, site comparison study in Australia recorded the same bat species in thinned and unthinned forest, except for the chocolate wattled bat, which was not recorded in forests with unthinned regrowth. One replicated, site comparison study in Australia found that forest thinned up to 20 years previously had higher bat diversity than unthinned forest, but sites thinned more than 20 years previously did not differ.

27POPULATION RESPONSE (11 STUDIES)

28Abundance (11 studies): Five of six replicated, site comparison studies (including two paired sites studies and one controlled study) in the USA and Australia found higher overall bat activity (relative abundance) in thinned or thinned and burned forest than unthinned forest. The other study found similar overall bat activity in thinned and unthinned stands. One replicated, randomized, site comparison study in the USA found higher overall bat activity for three of four types of thinning and burning treatments. One replicated, site comparison study in Australia found that forest thinned up to eight years previously or more than 20 years previously had higher bat activity than unthinned forest, but sites thinned 8–20 years previously did not differ. Three replicated, controlled studies (including one site comparison and one before-and-after study) in Canada and Australia found that thinning increased the activity of some bat species but not others.

29BEHAVIOUR (0 STUDIES)

30Assessment: likely to be beneficial (effectiveness 60 %; certainty 60 %; harms 0 %).

31https://www.conservationevidence.com/actions/991

Use selective or reduced impact logging instead of conventional logging

32Four studies evaluated the effects of using selective or reduced impact logging instead of conventional logging on bat populations. Two studies were in the Neotropics, one study was in Italy, and one in Germany.

33COMMUNITY RESPONSE (1 STUDY)

34Community composition (1 study): One replicated, controlled, site comparison study in Trinidad found that the composition of bat species differed between selectively logged and conventionally logged forest.

35Richness/diversity (1 study): One replicated, site comparison study in Germany found similar bat diversity in selectively logged and conventionally logged forest.

36POPULATION RESPONSE (3 STUDIES)

37Abundance (3 studies): One replicated, site comparison study in Germany found similar overall bat activity (relative abundance) in selectively logged and conventionally logged forest. A review of 41 studies in the Neotropics found that reduced impact logging had a smaller effect on bat abundance than conventional logging. One replicated, site comparison study in Italy found greater bat activity at two of three sites that used selective logging techniques to open up the forest canopy rather than leaving the canopy intact. BEHAVIOUR (0 STUDIES)

38Assessment: likely to be beneficial (effectiveness 50 %; certainty 40 %; harms 0 %).

39https://www.conservationevidence.com/actions/989

Unknown effectiveness

Manage forest and woodland to encourage understorey growth

40One study evaluated the effects of managing forest and woodland to encourage understorey growth on bat populations. The study was in Germany.

41COMMUNITY RESPONSE (1 STUDY)

42Richness/diversity (1 study): One paired sites study in Germany found more bat species and higher bat diversity in a forest managed to encourage understorey growth than in a managed forest without understorey growth. POPULATION RESPONSE (1 STUDY)

43Abundance (1 study): One paired sites study in Germany found higher overall bat activity (relative abundance) in a forest managed to encourage understorey growth than in a managed forest without understorey growth. BEHAVIOUR (0 STUDIES)

44Assessment: unknown effectiveness (effectiveness 60 %; certainty 20 %; harms 0 %).

45https://www.conservationevidence.com/actions/1986

Retain residual tree patches in logged areas

46Three studies evaluated the effects of retaining residual tree patches in logged areas on bat populations. The three studies were in Canada.

47COMMUNITY RESPONSE (0 STUDIES)

48POPULATION RESPONSE (3 STUDIES)

49Abundance (3 studies): Two replicated, site comparison studies in Canada found no difference in bat activity (relative abundance) along the edges of residual tree patches and the edges of clearcut blocks. One replicated, site comparison study in Canada found that the activity of smaller bat species was higher along the edge of residual tree patches than in the centre of clearcut blocks, but the activity of larger bat species did not differ. One replicated, controlled study in Canada found that residual tree patches had similar activity of little brown bats and northern long-eared bats and lower activity of silver-haired bats compared to clearcut forest patches.

50BEHAVIOUR (0 STUDIES)

51Assessment: unknown effectiveness (effectiveness 30 %; certainty 35 %; harms 0 %).

52https://www.conservationevidence.com/actions/995

Use shelterwood cutting instead of clearcutting

53One study evaluated the effects of using shelterwood cutting instead of ‘gap release’ cutting on bat populations. The study was in Australia. We found no studies that evaluated the effects of shelterwood cutting instead of clearcutting.

54COMMUNITY RESPONSE (0 STUDIES)

55POPULATION RESPONSE (0 STUDIES)

56BEHAVIOUR (1 STUDY)

57Use (1 study): One site comparison study in Australia found more Gould’s long-eared bats roosting in remnant trees within forests that had been shelterwood harvested than in forests harvested using gap release methods. Comparisons were not made with clearcutting.

58Assessment: unknown effectiveness (effectiveness 15 %; certainty 10 %; harms 0 %).

59https://www.conservationevidence.com/actions/990

No evidence found (no assessment)

60We have captured no evidence for the following interventions:

• Change timing of forestry operations
• Coppice woodland
• Encourage natural regeneration in former plantations
• Maintain forest and woodland edges for foraging bats
• Protect roost trees during forest operations
• Replant native trees in logged areas
• Retain buffers around roost trees in logged areas
• Retain riparian buffers in logged areas
• Strengthen cultural traditions such as sacred groves that prevent timber harvesting
• Train arborists and forestry operatives to identify potential bat roosts.