Researchers team up with National Grid to research most effective ways to protect UK's bats
Researchers from the University of the West of England have partnered with National Grid to launch a unique project researching the most effective ways to mitigate construction impact on bats.
Bats are vital for maintaining the health of our ecosystems, yet mitigation work is often costly, time-consuming and its effectiveness is rarely tested.
The project will assess the effectiveness of bat flyway mitigation strategies and model bat habitat use within the North Somerset and Mendip Bats Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and the Mendip Limestone SAC. Findings will be applied on future major construction projects and used by local planning authorities across the UK.
PhD Project Lead Jack Hooker from UWE Bristol, said: “The focus of the project is on minimising the impacts of habitat fragmentation, where parts of a habitat are reduced and isolated, leaving behind smaller unconnected areas scattered across the landscape, which risks further loss of diversity and abundance of our wildlife.”
He added: “I want to come up with a fully-tested mitigation strategy that is cost efficient, time effective and easy to achieve, so that it’s a win-win for developers and the local wildlife.”
Between now and September, Jack will divide his time between the university and working on site monitoring bat flyways within the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Project Director for National Grid, James Goode says: “Bat populations have suffered from declining numbers over the last century. To counter this and to mitigate the impact of our work in the area, we are already working hard to provide dedicated places for bats to roost and flyways to help them navigate.”
He added: “We hope our partnership with UWE Bristol will help to transform ways of working in the construction industry and help to protect the UK’s vulnerable bat populations for years to come.”
The project is being supervised by leading UK bat experts, Dr Emma Stone and Dr Paul Lintott, who are specialists in the academic areas of wildlife and human conflict, and assessing mitigation techniques.
Dr Lintott said: “This is an exciting opportunity for us to work with industry to ensure our research produces timely and useful applied outcomes. This innovative project will therefore provide greatly enhanced confidence that future conservation strategies for bats are cost-effective, reliable and evidence-based.”
Related news
03 April 2025
Interdisciplinary studio bridging the gap between creative industries and technology opens at UWE Bristol
A new £3.6m laboratory has opened at UWE Bristol which will provide a unique arts, humanities and technologies multi-disciplinary space for researchers, entrepreneurs and businesses across the West of England.
28 February 2025
Paramedics in GP surgeries may ease workload but not NHS costs, study finds
Paramedics working in GP surgeries help reduce GP workload but do not contribute to cost savings to the NHS, according to the first major study of the clinical and cost-effectiveness of paramedic compared with GP consultations.
11 February 2025
Comics could help explain science in court, study finds
Comics explaining the complexities of forensic science in simple terms could improve understanding for jurors in court cases, research conducted at UWE Bristol suggests.
06 February 2025
Opinion: ‘We’re ensuring people have access to diverse images for healthcare’
Flicking through the pages of academic medical textbooks back in 2022, our team spotted a surprising omission: a stark absence of images of health conditions on darker skin tones.
03 February 2025
Groundbreaking UWE Bristol project based on children’s lived experiences of racism in the UK set to transform police training
UWE Bristol researchers have worked with over 1,000 primary-aged children to explore everyday experiences of racism to inform future police training.
30 January 2025
Women exercising in gyms face barriers including body image and harassment, study finds
Women exercising in gyms often feel judged for their appearance and performance, leading to a persistent sense of inadequacy, according to a new study.
22 January 2025
Can DIY greening solutions transform your street and combat climate change?
Do-it-yourself (DIY) greening kits could help safeguard the country's most vulnerable communities from the impacts of a rapidly changing environment, according to a new project supported by UWE Bristol.
14 January 2025
UWE Bristol secures British Council grant to strengthen educational ties with three leading Nigerian universities
UWE Bristol has secured a British Council Transnational Education (TNE) grant to work collaboratively with three of Nigeria’s foremost universities.
03 January 2025
Big leap forward for environmentally friendly ‘e-textiles’ technology
Research led by UWE Bristol and the University of Southampton has shown wearable electronic textiles (e-textiles) can be both sustainable and biodegradable.
19 December 2024
UWE Bristol academic appointed honorary professor at prestigious Danish university
A UWE Bristol researcher has been appointed an honorary professor at a prestigious university in Denmark.
18 December 2024
Opinion: Christmas… are you ‘totally sleighing it’ or wondering ‘what the elf’?
Could singing in a group bring a moment of calm and boost your mood this Christmas?
10 December 2024
ONS Research Excellence award win for UWE Bristol data research group
UWE Bristol’s Data Research, Access, and Governance Network (DRAGoN) has won the Organisational Excellence Award at the 2024 Office of National Statistics (ONS) Research Excellence Awards.