Journal article
Bat boxes are not a silver bullet conservation tool
SR Griffiths, R Bender, LN Godinho, PE Lentini, LF Lumsden, KA Robert
Mammal Review | WILEY | Published : 2017
DOI: 10.1111/mam.12097
Abstract
Nest boxes are often promoted as substitute structures for hollow-dependent fauna, but are they generally effective? In a long-term bat-box monitoring project in south-eastern Australia, box occupancy was dominated by one common and widespread urban-adapted species, Gould's wattled bat Chalinolobus gouldii. In contrast, the 13 other bat species in the area made little or no use of the boxes. Policymakers, land managers and conservation professionals working in the field of biodiversity offsets should be aware that bat boxes are unlikely to compensate adequately for the broad-scale loss of tree hollows caused by various forms of human disturbance.
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Funding Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the many volunteers who have generously contributed their time during bat-box surveys conducted over the last two decades. This study was funded by the Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment, the Parks Victoria Research Partners Panel, and the Wettenhall Environment Trust. SRG is supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship. PEL is supported by the Australian Government's National Environmental Science Program Threatened Species Recovery Hub. All animal capture and handling procedures were carried out under ethics approval from The University of Melbourne and La Trobe University Animal Ethics Committees, and under research permits from the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victoria, Australia.