Federal agencies commit to continuing a critical bat monitoring partnership

As co-leads of the NABat project, the two federal agencies will work to ensure the sustainability of the project and meet the needs of partners by providing coordination, technical assistance, data products and analysis to make it easier and more effective to apply bat monitoring data to support conservation efforts.

NABat was created to meet the urgent need for bat population monitoring. White-nose syndromeA disease of hibernating bats, White-nose syndrome emerged in New York in 2007 and has since spread across the continent. Considered one of the worst wildlife diseases of modern times, it has killed millions of bats in North America.

In addition to white-nose syndrome, both hibernating and non-hibernating bat species are impacted by climate change, wind energy development, and habitat loss and fragmentation. To address these challenges, NABat leverages a collaborative network of more than 300 partner organizations to better understand the population dynamics, distribution, and resilience of all 48 bat species in the United States and Canada.

The multinational NABat project improves bat conservation efforts by strengthening collaboration, standardizing data collection, and making this information more accessible. Since its launch in 2015, NABat has integrated nearly 94 million records from 49 states, nine Canadian provinces, and 20 tribal organizations to monitor changes in North American bat populations.

This information is critical for the conservation of these species.

Bats are a highly mobile and cryptic group of animals whose complex life histories and behaviors make them difficult to observe. NABat leverages contributions from a network of partners across the United States and Canada who use standardized methods to collect information through a variety of techniques, such as acoustic monitoring and surveys. By coordinating bat monitoring efforts and developing reliable analyses, NABat helps wildlife biologists and land and natural resource managers understand the impacts of threats and the benefits of conservation efforts locally, regionally, and across their range.

The announcement comes as the Endangered Species Act (ESA) celebrates its 50th anniversary. USA The Department of the Interior highlighted the importance of the ESA in preventing extinctions, promoting wildlife recovery, and protecting the habitats they depend on. The ESA is so effective that, through the collaborative efforts of tribes, federal agencies, state and local governments, conservation organizations, and private landowners, it has saved 99 percent of species from extinction.

For more information and opportunities to participate in the North American Bat Monitoring Program, visit https://www.nabatmonitoring.org/.