Round table discussion on bat-conservation – Summary

Under the chairmanship of dr. A. van Wijngaarden (Netherlands’ Institute of Nature Research) a discussion on bat conservation was held. Seventeen speakers, representing 13 countries reported on the problems existing in various areas. Reports came from Van Wijngaarden and Braaksma (the Netherlands), Racey and Stebbings (United Kingdom), Gaisler (Czechoslovakia), Issel (Germany), Jensen (Denmark), Rydberg (Sweden, comments on the situation in Finland), Stock (situation in Belgium), Saint Girons (France), Dinale (Italy), Dulić (Yugoslavia), Mutere (Kenya), Lendell Cockrum, Myers, Koopman (U.S.A.), Greenhall (Mexico). Summarizing, it turned out that urbanisation, the use of insecticides in agricultural areas and in summer roosts, large scale banding of bats by nonqualified people, amateur-speleology, and irresponsible bat control connected with the rabies and vampire problem, are the main causes of decrease in bat populations.