14 species of bats have been registered in Estonia, but 2 of them are occasional visitors. All Estonian bat species belong to the list of protected category II species
UNEP/EUROBATS is an international agreement for the protection of European bat populations. The agreement was concluded in 1995 as part of the Bonn Convention, an agreement on the protection of migratory routes of wild animal populations. In the same year, the EUROBATS Secretariat was set up at the United Nations’ environment and science institutions. The objectives of the secretariat are to coordinate the transnational exchange of information and research on bats, to organise meetings of the parties to the agreement, to organise the work of the Advisory and Standing Committee, to inform the public about the importance of protecting the bats, and to encourage countries to accede to the agreement [1].
14 species of bats have been registered in Estonia. All Estonian bat species belong to the list of protected category II species. Estonia joined EUROBATS on 11 November 2004. Every year, Estonia celebrates the International Bat Night, an action plan for the protection of bats (2017) has been prepared and is being updated in 2022. Both winter and summer state monitoring is carried out regularly to assess the status of bat populations. In 2020, bats were declared as the animal of the year [2].
In recent years, more attention has been paid to the protection of the wintering areas of pond bats in Estonia. In the course of the ESTBAT LIFE project of the Estonian Fund for Nature, security cameras have been installed and fences have been built to ensure peace in the wintering places of the pond bats. Although much has been done for bats, further efforts are needed to increase knowledge about bats and to preserve bat habitats.
If you find a bat that is injured or needs help, contact the state helpline at 1247.
The national administrative contact of UNEP/EUROBATS is Kaja Lotman and the scientific contact is Maris Pärn.
Last modified: 27.06.2022
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[2] https://elfond.ee/uudised/nahkhiirte-aasta-kulmineerus-lennuka-unejuttude-voistlusega