THREATS FOR BATS

Logging, especially of mature trees, monocultures, destruction or degradation of roosts, extensive use of fertilizers and pesticides, and extensive interventions such as road constructions and installation – operation of renewable energy sources infrastructure in agroforestry areas are the most important pressures and threats for bats. The installation of wind farms in forests is often followed by an important number of bat fatalities in Greece, as recorded by Georgiakakis et al. (2012). In this case, highest mortality is recorded for some bat species that feed close to trees or roost in them, possibly because bats perceive wind turbines as huge trees and try to explore them. Wildfires seem to impact more severely species that fly between trees, while species that fly higher occasionally increase their activity after a fire. Usually, after habitats’ natural regeneration, restoration of the structure and functionality of bat fauna follows.