Bat protection
The United Nations Bat Secretariat UNEP/Eurobats in Bonn coordinates the protection of bats worldwide.
The UN Bat Secretariat began its work in Bonn almost 20 years ago. Since 2006, it has been located on the UN campus on the Rhine. In an interview, its director, Andreas Streit, reveals why bats are indispensable to the ecosystem
Do you like bats?
Of course!
Why?
If you look at bats close up, you see that they are beautiful creatures. And if you then also study their special abilities, you can only be fascinated by them.
What special abilities do bats have which are so important that they’ve been given their own UN secretariat?
Bats play a central role in the ecosystem. Here in Europe they are almost the only natural regulators of nocturnal insects. If there were no bats, we would have to fight these insects with pesticides. The insects that bats feed on are above all insects that are harmful to agriculture and forestry.
Why are bats endangered?
In Europe bats are mainly threatened by the contraction of their natural habitat. More and more forests and wetlands are being inhabited or cultivated. And the habitat of bats in the cities too is shrinking. Many buildings are being heat-insulated. This is important to do, but it endangers many places where bats live. We’re looking for solutions.
And in other parts of the world?
The largest species of bat, the so-called flying fox, lives in many African countries. There they hunted because they are regarded as a delicacy.
What do you do specifically to protect bats?
We’re a very, very small UN secretariat. The smallest in the world; I’m the only full-time employee. We therefore can’t carry out direct protective measures. But we raise voluntary contributions from the contracting states and then fund projects for bat protection and NGOs in the Agreement Area.
World Environment Day, 5 June 2014
