The 17th of April was declared as National Bat Appreciation Day which is celebrated every year as it is the best time to observe bats that are beginning to come out from hibernation. The date is used to raise awareness about the important roles that bats play both in nature.
In honor of the natural phenomenon, National Geographic studied urban bats and how the winged creatures have managed to share a habitat with humans in an urban setting. In their study, National Geographic stated that excessive artificial lighting has a negative effect on nocturnal animals.
Looking at the winged mammals, light pollution disorients them and interferes with their reproduction. However, this did not stop bats from making a home out of an urban setting. Berlin which is made up of 20% forest is home to 18 out of 25 bat species in Germany.
Tanja M. Straka, a researcher at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, suggested in her study that trees help reduce the impact that the street lights have on urban bats. Straka explained further that tree cover lessens the impact on the creatures of the night. Impacts include reduced foraging and fewer roosting opportunities.
Straka's Team of researchers recorded activities done by five species of bats in addition to species groups flying through 22 of the green spaces in Berlin. The research was done in summer 2017. The team has observed that bat activity was higher around areas that had lighting and tree cover.
While some species reacted differently to UV lights, all bats studied were less active around LED light sources except for high flying bats near forested areas. LED light attracts fewer insects than UV lights do.
Christian Voight, another researcher at the Leibniz Institute states that when artificial light affect bats negatively the creatures would eventually leave their areas or the reproductive rate of the colonies may suffer and eventually, leading to the demise of the group. Voight added that planting trees, together with keeping bat habitats as dark as possible, would benefit the bats that inhabit urban areas greatly.
Some advantages for preserving bat habitats in cities include pest control and pollination of some plans. Bats are known to eat biting insects such as mosquitoes. Reports state that a bat can catch and consume up to 1,000 mosquitos in an hour. The creatures of the night also play a role in disposing seeds throughout the community gardens and backyards.
