Bat Conservation Project
Ealing is one of the most under-recorded Boroughs of London for bats. As a key indicator species, bats signal the health of wider ecosystems. Bats can also help identify certain areas that are vital wildlife corridors and habitats.
Working alongside London Bat Group and Ealing Park Rangers, we now regularly monitor and record bat populations in the area. We share these records with Greenspace Information for Greater London, the Bat Conservation Trust and the London Bat Group. Sharing these records enables our data to be part of UK-wide programmes monitoring the health of UK bat populations.
Closer to home, Ealing’s Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) is currently in development in consultation with Ealing Wildlife Group (EWG). Bats are a focus within the BAP, with their own Species Action Plan (SAP) currently being drafted.
We were able to carry out this project after receiving a generous grant from Greggs (the baker). We used that money to transform the space at Boles Meadow as well as equip ourselves with more and better bat detecting equipment to log our data.
Bioblitz
The success of the Bat Conservation Project also depends on the increase in biodiversity in the region. In order to track these developments, EWG now run a quarterly Bioblitz.
A Bioblitz is a community event involving volunteers and members of the public finding and identifying as many species as possible in a set amount of time. We share this data from the Bioblitz with the other conversation groups.
Volunteering opportunities are available for our next Bioblitz. Check our Events page here to see when our next one is coming up.
