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Protecting canal bats and their roosts


Many of our 200-year-old canal tunnels, bridges, buildings and aqueducts are home to bats. If bats flew during the day everyone would know how abundant they are along our canals.

Because bats roost under many canal bridges and canalside structures, British Waterways must take care when working with any heritage structures or trees.

The best example of this is perhaps the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, which was recently made a World Heritage Site, and is a pipistrelle bat roost. During the renovation of the structure, work was undertaken without delays or detriment to the bats, and their existing roosts were maintained.

Daubenton’s bats, also known as the 'water bat', are (unsurprisingly) common to the waterways. They use the canal and river network extensively for finding food and getting around safely – for bats the canals are a cross between Tesco and the M1.

Canals are a cross between Tesco and the M1

Mark Robinson, the British Waterways National Ecology Manager explains: "The waterways provide an incredibly important natural passage for the movement of wildlife, such as bats, bringing the countryside into the heart of our towns and cities. These corridors bypass the perils of our roads, providing vital links in an increasingly fragmented countryside."

Piers Warburton, Community Development Officer for the Regeneration Team, is one of a growing number of BW staff taking part in the annual National Bat Monitoring Programme (NBMP), which is run by the Bat Conservation Trust and includes a waterway survey of Daubenton’s bats.

Piers has organised a public workshop with Clwyd Bat Group to raise bat awareness around the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and the Llangollen Canal.

Bat monitoring is essential

Piers says: "I am really excited to be getting involved with the NBMP and I am hopeful that following the bat training, many other people from the local community will be helping to survey the bats on our canals.

"Our network is currently host to 116 NBMP survey locations and more people are needed to take part. Monitoring is essential as many of the UK’s 17 bat species have declined dramatically over the last 60 years and keeping an eye on their numbers allows experts to assess their conservation needs."

To find out more about the NBMP and how you can help to monitor bats along our waterways visit the Bat Conservation Trust website.

Ways to get involved...

If you want to know more about Piers’ bat awareness workshop or take part in one of the programmed public bat walks organised during the summer months along the canal network take a look at these events along the Llangollen Canal.

Roger Thomas, Chief Executive, Countryside Council for Wales comments: "We are delighted that Countryside Council for Wales is able to work with partner organizations such as British Waterways to achieve the long-term safeguarding of bats and their roosts. The recent works at Pontcysyllte demonstrate the value of cooperative working to conserve both the structure and the species at the site. Pontcysyllte is an exemplary demonstration that the presence of protected species need not be a barrier to restoration and other works."

This project has received funding through the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-2013 which is funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.

Last updated: 16/06/2010